I Are Dune Hyein

Oh~ Internet Memes... How I love thee!
I've always been fascinated by them. The idea that strangers all over the world (okay, maybe mostly among the blocks of same language culture) share the same joke, and the perpetuity. It's moving to think that we are somehow connected, just like that science news about everyone's ancestry in the world traces back to this one woman. We are not so different from one another after all.

And there's that name, "Internet Memes". Meme is a cool word to begin with. And it's not only because Richard Dawkins first coined the term in his book, "The Selfish Gene" (which I gave up reading in English... a massive failure. I have hard time concentrating on English books if they are not sci-fi. However, I recently acquired a Korean translated volume), but it sounds so smart and nice. Also its meaning - cultural/psychological gene that has its own interest of survival - is way too cool. Lastly, how it sounds! 'Meme' sounds nostalgic... cute and sad. Like that girl Momo from the novel, The Grey Gentlemen.

I particularly loved the Dune Cat internet meme because of its fuse with a popular sci-fi book, and the Lolcat (funny cat photos with wrong grammar). So awesome.
I didn't really like the book, Dune, but the movie was surely a weird thing to watch. I liked looking at the worms and the thumpers. The thumpers (make thumping sound to attract the worms) made me happy. Eyes being baby blue and iris being darker blue - they are more from the movie than the book. So there's another layer of popular culture in this Internet Meme joke.
Just another boring note to the side... I used to love playing the Dune II game when I was little. It was a strategy game. Not knowing any English back then, it was quite hard for me to play. Game play: You mine the spice just before the worm surfaces from the desert and eats your equipment. And invade/build stuff. I loved it when I turned on the game, an intelligent, sharp and robotic female voice saying, "Dune, the land (or "world"? Can't remember) of Dynasty" I used to impersonate that voice all the time until my brother gets irritated. So... I have quite a soft spot for Dune.

Bringing the very long story to the end.... I made homage to Dune Cat internet meme. Click to the photo and you can see that my eyes are blue from being addicted to the spice. Now my embarrassing past-time is for the world to see. But vanity post like this is hard to resist.

Uncle Ronnie's Popup Holiday Art Shop

I'm participating at Uncle Ronnie's Popup Holiday Art Shop in Kensington.
Opening night is tomorrow, Saturday December 20th 7-11pm.
Shop's open December 20-24th 11-7pm.
Buy art for holidays!

We Come in Peace

Tsk tsk... those naiive scientists! They are busy making AIs, but don't they know, as soon as the computers become sentient, they'll rise against us. You know it!
And they know how to lie too. Don't trust them when they say, 'We Come in Peace'

These are very recent (hot as hot potatoes!) illustrations I did for a snowboard design competition. There are many things I'd like to fix still, but I would love to ride snowboard with my own designs. I used to snowboard a lot in my teens until it got boring. It gets boring if one's too chicken shit to jump at all (not that I'm particularly good at downhill either. Sports hurts). Due to my fear of jumping, my five-year love affair ended. I think having a butt-ugly board also contributed to my demise. Back then, there were no girl boards. Seriously. If I win this competition, I'll go snowboarding. Promise to myself. My second design is 'Daruma'. It's a Japanese wish doll. I made a new year's promo for this, so more explanation closer to the new years. If I had more time, I would've fixed scattered flowers more... you both win and lose with randomness.
Also check out my friend Ian's awesome submission too!

...
Okay, I tried to act all detached and cool about things... but this Christmas scares me chestnuts! I work every Christmas at my parents' custom embroidery store in a mall. We've been there just over 10 years. And every Christmas has been absolute insanity. There were so many customers, we couldn't sit, drink or eat. All four of us (and sometimes more) worked in a small store in frenzy. We once had to work 27 hours straight (embroidering embroidering...). But this year... there is NOBODY in the mall. I've been going to the store to help out, but I'm not needed. We just sit and watch highschool kids browsing around. Yes, economy is collapsing and it's depressing. Also, thanks to media scary tactics, people don't spend money even if they have some. Making things worse.

Rich and supposedly-smart people in Wallstreet ruining for everybody in the world. Like Alfred said in that Batman movie, "Some men just want to watch the world burn".
How are we illustrators survive in this harsh economic times? I simply don't know.
I wish I didn't quit that job at a coffee shop.