Monday, June 26, 2006

The Pencil and the Brush

I love to draw, and the pencil is my best friend in the world of stationeries. However, I can't say the same for it's near relative: the paintbrush. I loathes it, because to me, it is more like a weapon of mass destruction to my artwork. In short, I can't paint to save my life! In fact, it was only in recent years that I started to get a little more comfortable with coloured-pencils and markers on my sketches.

It's such irony, that I've been longing to be a graphic designer, and is currently doing scenography works, and yet I don't know how to handle the paintbrush. Somemore, it was my childhood dream to become an artist one day! Anyway, I picked up my most dreaded paintbrush today again, as I have to make some hanging props for my opera troupe's performance next month. The picture I had to paint is actually quite simple; just an abstract dragon design in the middle of a circular flat using only three colours. Yet, I still have to spend 2 1/2 hours to get it done. And it's not even totally complete yet!

On a side note, I think I might have to work alongside with my "foe" more often in the near future, as my responsibilities as a scenographer cum stageart maker (for small performances) will be getting heavier and heavier. By hook or by crook, I'll have to brush up my skills or else I'll have a hard time delivering my works

Watch out, paintbrush! I'm out to get you!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

The Budget Terminal (part 2)

The day before, I sent my father off to the Budget Terminal, and yesterday, I went back again to fetch him back. You might be wondering why he's only going for a day. Well, the fact is that all he needed to do was just to fly over, meet his person-of-contact over at Hatyai airport, pay him the money and collect his medicine, and that's it! So in fact, my father could jolly well go and return on the same day, and he'd be more than glad to do so. Too bad Tiger Airways only has one flight daily to and fro Hatyai, and the timings simply do not match.

Anyway, back to the Budget Terminal, I arrived at the departure hall at 12.05am with my mother, 10 minutes before the scheduled landing time of my father's flight. However, I realised that the flight had actually touched down at midnight. Lucky for us, none of the passengers were out yet, as I had not told my father that we'll be picking him up. While waiting, I surveyed around the arrival hall. This hall looked much smaller than the departure hall, and there isn't any eatery outlets at all, only some snacks and drinks vending machines at a corner. I wonder what can one do, when the flight of the person he's picking up has been rescheduled or delayed at the very last minute!

My father came out soon after along with other passengers of the same flight. He was full of complaints the moment he saw us. Not because of the plane, but the design of the arrival hall. In Terminal 1 and 2, there're conveyor belts and escalators for people to use, but in this Budget Terminal, there's none of these, and everyone had to walk all the way from the moment they get out of the plane. And it wasn't a short distance too! Many other passengers, mainly the elderly, were complaining about this problem, and some had to stop for a few times along the way to rest their feet.

So it seems, while the Budget Terminal is trying to provide only the basic facilities so as to reduce cost of operations which in turn will be beared by the passenger, they should still take into considerations of people with disabilities. What I could not understand is, while they have got facilities outside the terminal for the disabled, there seemed to be little of such within the terminal. Something for the authorities to think about!

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Prologue of "Lord Of The Ring" On Local Television

For the past 2 evenings, Channel 5 had airred "Lord Of The Ring". For those who still can't get enough of the show, here's a video clip (not done by me this time!) from one of the episodes. But be warned; It's a parody!



And another parody!

The Budget Terminal

Yesterday evening, I sent my father off to the airport as he was heading off to Hat Yai to buy medication. This wasn’t my first time driving my parents to and from the airport, but this time round, my father’s taking the flight from the Budget Terminal.

My initial idea of the terminal was that it should be located somewhere near Terminal 2, and perhaps interlinked with the skytrain. I was wrong! I had to make a u-turn somewhere before reaching Terminal 1, and made some more confusing turns and lane-changing before I reached the Budget Terminal. From the exterior, it looked more like Tanah Ferry Terminal than the other 2 terminals. It looked well-designed anyway, but my praises for the terminal was cut-short soon after, when I was trying to park my car. The parking slot seemed much smaller than normal carparks, and the space between the vehicles on my left and right side were very narrow. This was despite the fact that both vehicles were parking right in the centre of their slots. I then decided to shift to another lot with an empty adjacent one.

The interior of the terminal’s departing hall looked spacious and a bit empty too. Well what more can one expect, when there’s only 1 carrier flying there at this moment. There weren’t anything much to do at that terminal too, if you’re not a travelling passenger, as there is only a Hans eatery outlet within the terminal (and outside, excluding the area beyond the check-in zone). My parents and I had not had our dinner, so we have no choice but to patronise Hans. Luckily for my parents, they do have Chinese (local) food there. However, their menu was designed like a traditional flight display system, without any accompanying pictures for reference. My mother was upset as she wasn’t sure what they had to offer. Finally, under my recommendation, she decided to order a plate of Hor-fun, while my father settled for just a piece of tuna roll. I ordered a grilled fish set, and though it was more expensive than my mother’s Hor-fun, I find it quite cheap, since it comes with soup, drinks and dessert. My mother was initially grumbling about the price of her Hor-fun, but later dismissed it as she find the Hor-fun quite delicious.

After our meal, my father proceeded to his check-in while my mother and I headed home. The sky was turning dark now as the sun had completely set. The lit terminal looked more charming now than when I first arrived, but I was not in the mood to admire it; I just want to return home fast and remove my working attire!

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Tragedy of the Benny Hill Palace

There's a theory that says if you speed something up and play the Benny Hill theme song, it will become funny. I'm not too sure how true it is, hence I've decided to try it on a clip from "Tragedy Of The Song Palace"!