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Cheap and scenic travel to Tohoku region, Japan

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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

Comics: Getting old...er....

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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?

Evacomics at EOY Cosplay Festival 2016

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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 )

Comics: Using Wet Napkins

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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?

Evacomics at AFA 2016 (Anime Festival Asia AFASG)

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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!!!

Comics: Behind the scenes part 3

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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...

Comics: Behind the scenes part 2

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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

Yoga Inc opens 4th studio at Our Tampines Hub

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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.

Comics: Difference between Presidential elections

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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...

Comics: Behind the scenes part 1

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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