AT THE SPEED OF NOOR

A long-time friend who knows me better than most people recently told me (as I was writing down our food order) that the way I held the pen reminded me of the way I drew when we were younger, and how she wished she could draw like me. Context: She's a professional painter and has been in numerous exhibitions, so while I appreciated her sweet compliment/gesture, I can't bring myself to believe her. Not because she has ever lied to me or anything — what she said just doesn't make sense to me. I wish my brain wouldn't distort my thoughts and make me doubt the good things people who care about me say about me. This isn't about learning to accept praise. It's learning to believe that you do have value to people who care about you. That some people like you being in their lives, and can accept you as you are even when you are told many times before that nobody would. Now I'm crying again. I'm going to sleep this off tonight.

In February 2020, before the COVID-19 hit Malaysia, KLSketchNation was tasked with painting a 30,000sqft mural at an apartment buidling in Kuala Lumpur.  The project took 12 straight days, and over 20 local artists! The theme is stars, hence the design being based on past and current celebrities and public figures. I only managed to help on my days off, but some of my friends were there on most days. It was tiring, but it was also a pretty fun experience. Check out the process video below to see the before, during, and after! :) Last Updated: 2022-12-01

In Malaysia, there is an initiative called #SIGNON to promote Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM) or Malaysian Sign Language (MSL) . I've been meaning to join one of their BIM introduction classes  which they have monthly for free, but I could never find the time to go/I was worried to go alone. In an effort to be start learning MSL, I decided to invite some friends (which I was too shy to do before), and a few of ended joined me on the first SIGN ON session for 2020!

Artworks by a few KL Sketch Nation members - namely Hakym , Jerome , and Syah Daud - were being exhibited at LOOP Hotel , so as part of the launch, we had a sketchwalk activity around the vicinity of the hotel. Of course, a road trip was in order, so the KLSN team went to see the sights, sounds, and tastes of Penang!

On day 1 of 2020, some  KL Sketchnation  friends and I decided to have a simple picnic to celebrate the new year. It wasn't anything fancy - we were basically just hanging out at the river - but it was the most fun New Year's I've ever had. (Credit: Anonymous child, using Hakym's phone)