Posts

Blogging sold more cats than FB and Instagram

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Sorry for the lack of updates this past month! I was paralysed by the selling of the cats... I had to reply tons of emails, messages, comments all over my many social media channels (FB, Instagram. Blog, Patreon), coordinating transport from warehouse to temporary holding then to my house and shop, labelling, packing and mailing the cats, etc. etc. There was simply no free time at all to draw new comics and I learnt: Despite me posting several times on FB and Instagram to ask people to buy, nothing beats a good story about how difficult it is to make them.  After posting this article: " Why Matcha cat cushions were so difficult to make ", sales soared and I sold around 150 cats compared to only 30 or so initially... Other things I also learnt selling online: Don't use bank transfer if a flood of orders come in because people don't put their initials when they make payment. Therefore it is difficult to cross-reference which payment is paid by who. Also sp

Take away or to go in Japan

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I heard that no take away of leftovers from restaurants and buffet was allowed because of a major food poisoning that happened some years ago. Caterers and restaurants did not want to be liable if anything happens. Bento are ok because they have a expiry date and storage instructions on the packaging! Maybe this explains the tiny portions too...hmm...

Odd Japanese English: Rentogen and X-ray

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This thing didn't happen, but I did visit a doctor with my mask frequently when I was suspected of contracting TB... ( you can find my blog post here back in 2011 )

Haze comics

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It's the haze season again in Singapore! Yes, it is actually an official season now! Starts from September and might end in November... It is said to be caused by the palm oil plantations in Indonesia:  https://webreathewhatwebuy.com So I drew this "sensitive" teeth toothpaste to help get more signatures for the campaign. But apparently it is still far from target (maybe it's too troublesome?) I still go for my yoga classes and went to a Ashtanga yoga class last month at Yoga Inc. And boy, it was very tough, jumping in and out of poses and several repetitive sequences. I think I will go back to my regular hatha and flow classes...

Why Matcha cat cushions were so difficult to remake

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It wasn't easy to clear 100 cat cushions last year. I sold through my homepage, during my talks and I rented booths at conventions. The books were freakin heavy and the cats were freakin bulky. You combine the two and it's a seller's worst nightmare. Finally after 3 months of struggle, it  was finally sold out  during Anime Festival Asia in December. ...and I thought my nightmare was over... But whenever I take Matcha (yes that is the name of my cat) out to conventions, people kept asking for it. Strange that: When I have plenty of stock, people don't want to buy. When I have no stock, people want to buy. WAT DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Animals taking over human jobs in Japan

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In Japan, cats can become station master and dogs can become store keepers! Don't think this can happen in other countries... *sweat* http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/24/travel/new-cat-stationmaster/ http://www.boredpanda.com/dog-opens-window-shiba-inu-doge/ *I will be signing my comic strips from now on to prevent theft of my artwork with my credits removed.

Deadly Indonesian chili VS Japanese curry

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Last comic strip based on my trip to Indonesia last month! The chili is deadly!!! (Singapore is in between I think)

Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2015

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With nothing to sell this year, I went to Singapore Toy Game and Comics Convention, aka STGCC 2015 (12-13 Sep) as a media visitor to check out the exhibits, the artist alley and crowd. One-day pass costs $19 and two-day pass costs $28 , increased from $25 last year. Kids below 5 can enjoy free admission on Sat and kids below 12 can enjoy free admission on Sunday. Unfortunately this information was not well conveyed as many people I spoke to did not know about this.

Tight security in Indonesian shopping malls

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I was really amazed with the tight security at shopping malls in Indonesia. They even check vehicles when you drive into the driveway or carpark. I felt almost as safe as airports... I wonder if it happens in other countries too?

5 things not to say to a comic artist

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I was recently terribly busy helping out in my alumni's event and doing an urgent commission work so there were not many new comics besides the regular Monday ones. During those alumni events, I networked with many strangers who had never heard of my comics. The most popular comment was " Can you draw me " and " Can you give a talk at our school ". But when I asked if I can sell my books there and if I will get speaker fees, the replies were mostly irritating: " Oh sorry, you cannot sell your book during the talk... We are tight on budget, so can you consider doing it for free ? Think of it as promotion ". The irony was after chatting for some time, it is revealed that they do have LOTS of money. Well, not for me that is. FREE TALK + NO SELLING OF BOOKS = FAT HOPE I did lots of free talk last year and sold my books there. That was how I managed to clear 1,000 books all by myself within a year. But the downside was I became so busy preparing t