Kyoto Aquarium!

Fun day out sketching with Kyoto Sketch Club!

Museum of Literature (former Kansai Gakuin University Chapel), Kobe

The journey afterwork to the Museum of Literature started in the worst possible way; sky suddenly clouded up and an electrical malfunction down the line trapped tons of people in the train station. But after I finally got on the train 20 minutes later and headed towards Kobe, the sky cleared up and there came a perfect sunset! Well worth the wait!

Sanjusangendo, Kyoto

Literally means the temple with thirty-three spacings, hence the long hall. As I was almost done sketching the buddha on the left, with only the facial features left to finish, a staff approached me and said, Please do not sketch here. I replied with, well, I know photography is not allowed, why not sketching? She said, it will cause trouble for other visitors, especially when it's crowded. Please ask for the permission to sketch from those monks sitting over there. I was like, great, even this temple works on strict company hierarchy. And so I got a long lecture from the monk in charge of how pens and inks are not allowed in the building, blah blah blah it may potentially harm the precious buddhas. So I guess had I pulled out my watercolour gears instead of my pen, I would be sitting in detention right now lol

(He did end up lending me a pencil to finish my work though)

Snap shots from a cat cafe!

Top row from right to left: when there was nothing going on, being slightly annoyed when petted (I'd rather sleep!!), and...the sound of the fridge door opening! FOOOOOD!!!

Tenjin Matsuri, Osaka

A popular summer festival in Osaka. Drawn while standing on high grounds because it was impossible to stand still in the fast moving crowd. Other than the brightly lit food stands, it was just the constantly moving heads lol. It's hard to see from the way I coloured it, but there is a river (Yodogawa I believe, which actually sources from Lake Biwa) between the crowed and the buildings in the background, and festival boats make their away along the river.

The Bund, Shanghai

As a former-Shanghainese, I couldn't recall the last time I looked onto the Bund from this close...I need to get to know my city better! From the right, the HSBC Building, the China Merchants Company Building, The Great Northern Telegraph Company building, The Russel & Co. Building, the NKK Building, and cut off on the very left, The Union Building. I suspect none of the original namesake owners got their buildings back...

Getting high! in Shang-hai! :D

View from the 94th floor of IFC Shanghai, overlooking the back of the head of Grand Hyatt and their big brother Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Huangpu river was a refreshing green (?) on this sunny day! From someone who was used to admiring these skyscraper neighbours while straining her neck, this was a pleasant change!