Can you see the time?

There goes my G-Shock, all fogged up with moisture....arrghh. Hopefully it can be back in its normal condition soon.... T_T

Hmm....good enough for a competition?

Photo - strictly copyright of Joshdesigns.blogspot.com

Random photos....

the root of the plant below Love the exposure here...

Angel fish that is swimming in heaven now...

Images in this post are copyrights of Joshdesigns.blogspot.com

What keeps us going.....?

Its that time again when you actually lay back and take a look at your life. What have you been doing lately, or what are your goals...after that what else is next? At times, you feel like the once merry life you had has turned into a valley of loneliness. When the clock is filled with nothing but ticks that mean nothing...and everything else in the world is turning its back on you. And what can you do?...yeah, nothing...

And then for those who move on in life, have you ask yourself, what keeps you going? After gathering my thoughts, i think its hope and love. Although today fails constantly, its just hope that keeps us moving. We live on the believe that tomorrow will be a better day. We hope things will get better tomorrow. And together with that, love will patch our torn and tattered hearts. These two elements ensure that we keep going...

When it comes to the aspect of love, I can't illustrate much because I am certainly no expert in it...but I can assure you that it is love that adorns the walls of life with glimmers of lights. Love not only in the sense of couples' love but more on family love. If you know that you are loved by your family and close ones, you would certainly strive on and would never do something silly that has the ability to jeopardize this mutual need.

I am glad that I grew up not on a golden platter. Because, together with this I gain and experience a lot that others do not. If you had all the money in the world and you live life without any hardship, you are just missing out on so many lessons and good stuff in life. I love myself very much because i truly think that i am better off in so many aspects that others are lacking in. And if you think that life is a waste, then think again, all the money your parents invested into you, and all the love that nurtured you....is it worth it doing something silly?

So make good use of your life....its hard to remember that we are alive for the last time ! Yeah, no more chances...it is not like The Sims where you can virtually create life again and again, but this is pure reality, its just once...and people might think you are stupid although you are rich in knowledge, but never boast because one day or another it will know when to show...you need not bother what others think about you, but what matters is what you think of yourself. This is because what you think of yourself is what you make of yourself and that eventually is what you become.

These days, I have changed a lot...those playful days have turned into more meaningful and sentimental days. Expressing my thoughts through my writings on this blog and through the piano. I may not be the same anymore because i know i am entering the prelude of a devastating storm. And Im surprised how much time has passed, i still remember the days when I was in primary school, when I couldnt care less about the future. And then it was all the exams...and SPM....and now I'm working (and i know it wouldnt be as simple as it sounds) trying to juggle all the problems on one hand and some other stunts on your other hand, i really miss the schooling days, the friends, the silly things we do....time flies...but make sure in between that flight, you learn lots of stuff and pass down the knowledge to your loved ones.


"we live our lives today, not for today, but for tomorrow. And we live our lives tomorrow, not for tomorrow but for two things, hope and love." I really hope this post can really turn your flicker into a bonfire. Although it sounds a bit touchy but this is all the thoughts in my head and i just poured it out with full of sincerity and conscience. Have a good day and its ok to be sad for today but dont let the sun go down on your sadness...

Freedom? not exactly...

Yeah, the exams are over. Days of monotonous schooling is now of the past...The day I have waited for is here...and the 1st thing that came to my thought was...Freedom!

Not really...after the exams, life seems so chilled out. No more waking up at 5am to prepare for school, no more extensive studying and most of all, I have all the time I have in the world. I never knew it would be so dull after exams...where friends have their plans to further their studies, some are working and some are preparing for the country's national service.

However, I have been hanging out these days till it is getting kinda dull. And so, I wanted something different, perhaps a change...And just for "kicks" i decided to colour my hair...

And only to my sillyness, i found out that you can't dye your own hair especially if you have black hair....Instead you have to leave it to the pros to treat it, that is to remove the black pigments and then only you could dye your hair.

And then, moving on to the next part of the "freedom", it has become so boring till now i decided to work temporary till i start with college. At least I could make time fly while making some cash :)

At the mean time, I'm reading biographies of artists and famous people to give myself a morel boost...And while blogging may sometimes be discouraging (because at times, you think no one reads your blog)....but after checking my site statistics, i discovered that i have an average of 54 daily unique visitors...and it exceeded my target of 20....so that is all for today...Have a good day !

stock images from sxc.hu

Sorry for the sudden lag in updating...

Firstly, sorry to those who frequent Joshdesigns. The pause in blogging is mainly due to my final year examination, that would be the determinant of my future, I have pause awhile in updating this blog. This does not mean that i wont be updating anymore but less frequently for this month.

By December, exams would be over and I will be focusing a lot more on this blog...so just keep dropping by once in awhile to check for latest updates.

Good day :)

Classic....

Not just a court jester, but a great discovery made by me. I found this stack of playing cards in my grandfather's drawer which instantly caught my attention. Ill tell you why...

We'll start with the Aces...First, take note that this stack of cards is easily 50 + years old and it hasnt been unwrapped. However, i had the courtesy of tearing the plastic wrapper apart and explored each card.


Here, take a look at the sides of the cards. Yes, it is in a reflective tone of metallic gold.
On the back-side of the cards, even the little tulip flowers are metallic gold in colour. Heavy-thick and very decent cards... The "jacks" in its classic design.... The "queens"...The "kings"....
Heres the conclusion : This picture says it all....Hallmark !! A 50+ year old hallmark playing cards, still something pretty fascinating. Thats all for today...

"Fatty Nano" (iPod Nano 3rd Gen)- review

After a while of not blogging, I'm back with a new soulmate !....

The fatty Nano !! The new Nano gained some weight and most of all, it plays video at a pretty high resolution. However, many would not bare to watch a complete movie on the Nano because of its 2 inch screen. The iPod is packaged in its normal "clear", cute plastic box- the packaging is that good till its almost seamless...this is how the box looks like

Impressive isnt it...but nothing beats testing it in your hands. Its so so wrong to call it the "fatty Nano" because its also exquisitely slim....heres the proof A picture says a thousand words ....However again, interface wise, its perfect ! now with the integrated "cover flow" feature, adapted from the iPhone...it now scrolls through your albums seamlessly. In terms of sound quality, the Nano portrays a fantastic range of audio...and with its auto equalizer, the sound shivers no more...Then again, the mirrored-back of the iPod is very very prone to scratches and fingerprints. Although its looks good, but its bound to get most of your fingerprints on it....because its soo small that you can't hold it in any other way. Another bad point is that the sync-port the earphones socket and the hold switch are so close together, you can hardly pull it out when both the sync-wire and the earphones are attached. In my opinion, the "hold" switch should be a button or a combination of keys instead of a sliding toggle switch for easy access. Heres another comparison of size with a 50 cent coin. All in all, lets summarize the pros and cons.

- Impressive design and OS interface

- Good audio and video quality

- Sleek, small but yet wide.....??

- High resolution screen ( liquid crystal screen )

- Mirrored-back very prone to fingerprints and scratches

- Not recommended watching long videos on the small screen (although its fantastically clear)

- A little error with the 1st batch ( sometimes the iPod hangs or restarts by itself) but that can be overcomed with the software update from iTunes.

Performance and audio rating :


take note: that is not 5 outta 5, its 4.75 outta 5.....

And the design and interface rating:

Bridge of hope

There are always time where I would contemplate on what to major in. At times, I could see people's future but when it comes to myself, I always wonder what will I be 10 years down the road...However, what keeps me going on is "faith and hope" cause that is all I have for now.

"If we look at what we don't have in life, we don't have anything. But if we look at what we have in life, we have everything"

New series...

I've decided to start a new illustration series starting from this stock image (taken from http://www.sxc.hu/). However, ill only work on it when i find the time. I've always wished we had 72 hours in a day since examinations are creeping nearer and nearer....signing off for now.

Customized desktop

Here, a snapshot of my customized desktop. Obviously its the wallpaper from DesignChapel. Changed the icons and fonts for the entire PC to verdana.

Illustration (dreamgal)

One of my first illustrations i did sometime back...

Another random pic

Just another random pic before i upload the final cover of "The Andersonian 2007". Its an ice cube by the way...cool huh

The Andersonian 2007

After a few days of continuos work, I finally finished the cover design of Anderson high school's annual magazine. This may or may not be the final design. Throughout the years, we stuck with the normal looking, cluttered magazine where they used photos of the school as the front cover. However, last year's magazine cover was pretty well done.

This time, I introduced something different...the minimalist, straight forward and impactful concept. Hopefully people will go "WOW! something different". It is a modern approach to a pretty old school :) Supposely, this design will make the readers flip through the magazine.