EVACOMICS BLOG

2016 has been a very tough year for me because I underestimated the time required to finish my second book and the financial stress affected my health greatly. I am glad the book was done and conventions were over, so I have some vitamin M to feel less stressed and improve my health. I also finally cleared the debt I took to self-publish my first book 3 years ago and resumed taking in commission work again. Therefore I am very sorry that I don't have time to do the colorful weekly comic strips and kept on uploading the black and white ones... I am now planning for the 3rd book: Eva, Kopi and Matcha 2, which is a compilation of the comparison comic strips with more countries: US, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. I was debating if I should do a kickstarter because the current arrangment with my publisher is to contra my rotalties (in depreicating Malaysian ringgit) and use it to buy back books at a discount to sell by myself in Singapore. It's quite troublesome with more and...

It was my privilege to be invited as guest speaker for Comic Fiesta! I had an event on Saturday so I could only join the convention on Sunday.

I was invited back to the Japan Rail Cafe last Saturday (17th Dec) to learn more about Tohoku region and car rental! This time the speaker is a very well-travelled lady, Jane Tsuchihashi, from Malaysia but married to a Japanese. She travels frequently between Singapore and Japan, and often drives around herself, so she is very knowledgeable about Tohoku and driving routes. Tohoku literally means North-east and it consists of 6 prefectures: Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata and Fukushima. Niigata is commonly regarded as part of Chubu (Central region) but is closely linked to Tohoku transportation system. For my full introduction of Tohoku, you can read my earlier blog post here . JR TOMATO LAND Live Tour (sponsored by Norinchukin Bank) The seminar started off with an introduction of JR Tomatoland at Iwaki city, Fukushima prefecture. We connected with them via live video to watch how they pick tomatoes. Unlike other farms, you can just drop in anytime to pick tomatoes you...

There are many people who are arrogant and rude that no matter what you say is useless (for example gathering what they read online VS what a doctor told you...). I used to argue back when I was younger but now that I'm so busy, I no longer bother anymore and just walk away, after all it's a waste of time arguing with these people.

I was invited to attend Tohoku Japan seminar organised by Tohoku Tourism x JAPAN RAIL CAFE . The seminar was shared by Hungry Bird (on my left) on her travel experience to Tohoku held at the newly opened cafe last saturday. Despite living in Japan for 3.5 years, I have never visited Tohoku because when my scholarship wanted to do a study trip there, I fell ill and couldn't go 😭... About Tohoku Tohoku literally means North-east and it consists of 6 prefectures: Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata and Fukushima. Although Niigata is commonly regarded as part of Chubu (central) region, its transportation is closely tied to Tohoku so I will introduce it as well. Getting There There is no direct flight from Singapore to this region, so the best way is to fly to Tokyo and then take the Shinkansen (bullet train) up. Foreigners can purchase a JR East (Tohoku) pass for SG$250 that allows unlimited rides on JR lines and Shinkansen for any 5 days within 14 days of purchase. How...

I'm not sure if it's different with people at the other side of the globe... But I can no longer drink cold drinks because it irritates my sensitive nose and makes recovery from cold/flu impossible. How about you, is there something that you can no longer eat/drink as much?

Because I thought I wasn't getting a booth at AFA, I applied for a booth at EOY. When I first came back from Japan, I was offered a table to sell my artwork so I was interested to know if it's going to be different after 3 years. ( Blogged about it here )

Something I noticed when I was living in Japan is the way people use wet napkins. In Japan, they use it before a meal to kill of germs and bacteria before eating but in Singapore, we use it after a meal to clean off food remnants. So how about you? Do you use it before or after or not at all?

I initially thought that I wasn't going to get a booth but I guess someone withdrew on the last minute so I was able to squeeze in!!!

Some people asked me if I earn more from selling books myself or at bookstores. Although I earn less selling at bookstores per book, but if it sells well, there is a chance of getting it recognised and moved to better shelf locations where more people will notice it. There's also a misunderstanding that once a book is published, it can be found all over the world, but it really depends on the foreign bookstore's order and whether or not the distributor can send the books overseas. At the end of the day somebody has to pay for the shipping first...

So actually when I first made them, there were 100 pcs only and it was easy to clear. I also found them adorable. But when the second batch of 500pcs came I went crazy and didn't want to see them anymore... It was a storage and logistics nightmare. I had to collect them from my fan's office, then consolidate with the books from another place before transporting them over to the retail shop warehouse. Each trip had to be well-coordinated to save on the uber/grabtaxi ride and reduce the number of cats I had to keep in my room (my sister/owner doesn't like me put anything outside of my room). The cats were stored in those dubious looking rucksacks that makes the drivers suspicious if I was transporting a dead body or something heavy and illegal... Finally after more than a year... they are getting sold out on my side and left with stock at the retail stores :)))) One of the frustration was when I had plenty of stock, I had to beg people to buy... but once I was left w...

Congratulations to Yoga Inc. for opening their 4th branch at the new "Our Tampines Hub"! Yup, that means there are 4 shopping malls at Tampines now O_O.

Actually I don't care about the race or religion of our president, as long as he is kind, sincere, respects all people, knowledgeable and a gentleman that can represent our country well in foreign affairs. Sorry for anyone from other races who were intending to run for president...

Here are a few comic strips to let readers understand what actually goes behind the scenes. Like other Asian parents, mine also discourages me from doing my comics seeing how unstable my income is and hope that I quit soon and go back to a full-time job... When I had a full-time job, I always buy branded leather bags and could afford to go high tea. But as an entrepreneur selling own books and goods, I had to take a huge pay cut and buy plastic bags for my booths. Frankly speaking I don't miss the branded bags because the cost of maintainence (from the mold) is too high! A certain frustration I shared with other comic artists is that when our "fans" requested us to make certain goods, we thought that they will buy when we make it. But after we make it, they DON'T! Then we have to spend a lot of time and effort (not forgetting storage too) to sell the products. So it's likely I won't be having anymore toys and shirts in the future unless a retail stor...

Scariest costume ever, I would run in the other direction...

It's common that whenever you go to a Japanese networking party, people will be busy bowing and exchanging name cards instead of touching the food. That's because Japanese feel obliged to work first as they represent their companies. However for Singaporeans, we usually don't care about work and dive straight into the buffet first. We only network with a plate full of food in our hands :)

I was happy to return to the Makers' Block Festival again with other fellow makers after 2 years :)

The toilets are always wet in Malaysia and there's always no toilet papers. I wonder when bidets can be installed...

Remember the Makers' Block when my first book was released ? Well it's back again at The Centrepoint shopping mall located at Orchard!

I was surprised to learn that books are tax-free in Malaysia. I think this is a very good policy to encourage more people to buy and read books, so authors can earn more. When authors earn more, they can create more books that people can learn and enjoy. I wonder if Singapore can adopt this policy too to encourage more people to read because as you know, most people nowadays prefer playing games or simply visiting you-know-which-blogs for gossips. What happened to the book-reading culture (if any) in Singapore? So how is your book reading culture in your country? Are people still buying books? P.S. This comic was conceptualised together with last week's comic, I'm very fair ok! ;)

I'm not sure why but whenever I enter or leave Malaysia, the custom is always slack at one point. The custom officer was either playing mobile game and ignoring me when I was standing in front of her to check my passport (I could totally just walk through without people stopping me), or a bunch of officers were eating snacks while baggages went through the scan (I could put Samsung Note7 inside!).

I was very happy to return to Kinokuniya again after 2 years at its new location! I reached there early to display my prize giveaway: Matcha cat cushion and sticker sheets. Some of my friends reached there early so I asked them to help me take some photos and do FB Live video broadcast later.

Seriously it's really difficult to maintain a neat hairdo with natural curls. It always look nice after a haircut but it will totally mess up the next day...

1. Spend 2 hours on Natural Makeup. The end result usually looks effortless, from makeup to neat curls on the hair... I wonder what time they have to wake up to do all that before going to work or shop... 2. Not appear sweaty in suits during summer. Maybe that's why they are likely to get heat stroke during summer because they sweat less? You never hear people from South East Asia fainting or dying from heat in Japan. 3. Drink lots of beer but not look fat. Maybe because they need to climb a lot of stairs at the train station? Or it could be the small servings or less oil in cooking? Hmm... 4. Look like 30s in their 40s. Must be something in the skincare and UV protection suit gear. 5. Means "No" even when they said "Yes". Based on true story from an air stewardess fan who tried to get a Japanese girl's phone number. In the end she did not answer his calls or said she's busy all the time. 6. Always in orderly manner. Even during disaste...

(Left: My first book that I self-published, right: my second book with a publisher) Many budding authors feedback to me that they found my article: " 9 Important Lessons learnt on self-publishing in Singapore " very useful, so I am writing another one for authors who are wondering if they should self-publish or sign a contract with a publisher. After experiencing both sides, I would like to put together the pro and con of each side and share with you what I went through so you can decide for yourself which path to take. Self Publishing Pro: You can control everything from the content to the pricing of your book. Higher profit margin if your book cost is low. Retain full copyright to sell to other publishers in various countries, including selling on Amazon.com and publish in any eBook format. Con: You bear the cost of all production, including reprints. You have to store the rest of the books that your distributor did not take and try your blardy best to...

Day One:  Cooler Lumpur Festival I was honoured to be invited to this independent literature festival for a panel discussion with famous Malaysian comic artist and doodler Chee Ming Boey. I also got to meet my publisher and editor for the first time!

I'm one of those who cannot sleep well on another bed so it's quite a torture at night when I'm on a holiday or work trip... But I never have any problems with passing motion every morning unlike whoever was sharing room with me... XD How about you, do you have any difficulties that only happen when you travel?

After a few rounds of brainstorming for the title, my publisher narrowed down to this one: "EVA GOES SOLO". No, not the Solo in Indonesia but solo as in alone because this book contains short stories about me adapting to life in Japan a few years ago when the pets were not born yet. They liked idea no.4. So the next step was to ink and colour it. So here were some ideas on how to treat the plain white background. Ali from my Patreon (now it's like my mini fan club) suggested to have a table and my publisher liked the idea initially... Yes, I meant "initially" because after speaking to retailers, they changed their mind and wanted a white background so the cover can pop up from the shelves. It looked rather plain to me like a novel instead of a comic book, so I suggested 2 different treatments: drawings in the background or spot UV the bamboos. Spot UV is a special treatment whereby the surface is coated with a glossy finish. I preferred spot U...

When I travel and want to ask someone to help me take a photo, I always target those who are holding a SLR camera because I believed they have very good photography skill. Unfortunately, that's not the case now because SLR cameras are getting more portable and lighter, so anybody with extra cash can buy without knowing how to frame the composition and adjust the settings... My family seldom travel together especially with my Dad's weak legs now. Sadly, a photo of all of us at Disneyland 4 years ago was ruined because the guy couldn't aim properly... And yes, he was holding a SLR... (-_-)

I always dislike to try clothes during winter time because of the many layers of clothes you have to remove as well as the boots. PS. I did not sit down to try the clothes...

I always think they are like monkeys, stepping on the seats, swinging around with the hangers, running around and making lots of noises... On the other hand, Japanese kids are very well-behaved and their parents would scold them if they disturb others.

I was at Sanrio Puroland last year and saw a trio of girls getting super excited when they saw My Melody mascot. They hugged and kissed the mascot while taking photos... so I was wondering... what if it's a guy beneath the mascot... will they still hug? HMMM....

Pokemon Go was finally released in Singapore last Saturday (6th Aug) but I haven't catch anything yet... Maybe I should light up some incenses and use some lures too. But maybe I will become tanned and muscular after a month. After all, I had never walked so much continuously in Singapore before... I walked a lot in Japan because the weather was cool, but no... not in Singapore... until this game... While everybody caught normal pokemons, I caught this... on my desktop, HA~ Happy Birthday Singapore! Since my Telco will be providing free data tomorrow, guess what I'd be doing :P