So Russell T. Davies wrote three specials to essentially close out the 2005 Doctor Who series before moving on to the Disney+ co-production with a new Season 1, and it struck me that each of the three 60th anniversary specials, consciously or unconsciously, mirror the three eras of modern Doctor Who.
We skipped a few weeks here because, well, I’m on holiday. But even before I was travelling (I’m in Vietnam at the moment, sitting cosy in our hotel room in Hanoi while K reads a book), I had a couple of weeks of mild back pain, and this time, I decided, for once, not to prioritise my writing over my health.
I also had to finish up my remaining work for the year before my vacation (December usually has early closing in comics, so you end up with a month’s worth of work to finish up in two weeks), but I wrapped this up in the first week, and decided to rest before travelling.
I did entertain the idea to finish up my big series outline/beat sheet on vacation, but once we got here, I figured it’s a vacation, and I’d rather be out and about in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi than sit in a café and write (though there are some wonderful cafés here and we’ve done some champion sitting around in them, usually with a book each).
I did, however, want to post a final blog/newsletter to close out the year before we start fully anew next year.
(Content warning: This post describes the act of smoking several times, sometimes positively. If this might trigger or affect you emotionally, please prioritise yourself and feel free to skip this essay.)
30th September this year marked seven years since I quit smoking. When I completed 100 days of not smoking, I thought I’d learnt enough from the experience to write about it on my old blog, so I figure seven years marks a milestone to be celebrated.
Writing this one from K’s house. It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon, and we just finished rewatching Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
For a change, I’m writing this one on my phone, lying in bed. Not because I feel lazy, mind you. My back’s been giving me some trouble over the last few days because I’ve been writing a lot – writing on a laptop is surprisingly bad for your neck and upper back, it turns out.
Writing this one from my parents’ home. My mother’s taking a well-deserved vacation, so I’m taking care of my father while she’s away. The nicest thing about this is, of course, the constant presence of my cat Loki, who is currently asleep in the chair next to mine, having first arranged my messenger bag into a little bed.1
Hello, my beloved Internet! I intended only to skip one week while I was on my vacation, but I forgot that my vacation encompassed two weekends, and I had no intention to do anything resembling work while on holiday.
A quiet Saturday at my end. I’m writing this from my parents’ home, where I’m tending to dad while my mother has a day out. The cat is sitting on my lap as I write this – he hasn’t had this much alone time with me in a good while, and he’s very happy.
Originally posted in my newsletter dated 3rd September 2023.
There is a tendency in commercial art to “create to brief”. That is, as a creative, you fulfil the brief you’ve been given, but don’t add much to it. If you work like this, your work is likely to be interchangeable with that of hundreds of other people. Presumably fun to experience once, but forgettable after that.
It’s a nice Saturday evening, K and I just got back from a long walk (like the proper old people we are), so I think it’s a good time to write this week’s update.
Here’s this week’s earworm, from the Killers of the Flower Moon trailer:
The Halluci Nation Ft. Black Bear – Stadium Pow Wow(more…)
As I mentioned in a previous Status Update, I’m trying to get back to draw as my back issues recede. Plus, my friend Nitin helped me figure out a drawing setup that doesn’t require me to hunch over my iPad, so I’ve been drawing again.
I don’t know yet if I can draw on paper again – I’ll have to set up the boards and see if I can fix it up at the correct angle. But in the meantime, I’m just happy to be drawing again.