Just Sittin' On A Phone Box

While virtually walking around the village of Newhall in Staffordshire, England using Google Maps – as you do – where I lived as a child, I came across this little gem:

Yup, some dude sitting on top of a phone box on Darklands Road.

Who is this man? Did he see the Google Car coming and quickly climb up there? Or did he just happen to be sitting up there when he was captured on camera? Is sitting on phone boxes a common practice in England? And most importantly, does he know he's on Google Maps?

The internet is full of mysteries, innit, guv'?

Paint, Paint, Paint

I've been doing a fair bit of painting during the months of July and August 2013, and the Paintings page has now been updated with nine more pieces – bringing the total to 19! A few really old ones have been included as well, if you want to see how my painting skills have (not) improved over the last ten years.

I've now run out of canvas but the good news is a nice art supplies shop has opened in the next suburb, so I went down there today and got some matte gel – something I have never used before. Looking forward to trying it out!

Thanks to my cousin Dayle in Bombay who said: "Awesome...when did you do all this, it's awesome. Love the colour you used too. And are you going to put them on exhibition? Am sure people will love it."

There will be more...

1AA-1AA Land

Here is the Premier of the state of Victoria, one Dennis Napthine, placing a new number plate on some rich prat's car (possibly his own). "So what?" you may say. Well, the plate he is holding, 1AA-1AA, is the first in Victoria's new sequence of number plates.

The old three-letter, three-number sequence used by Victoria has come to an end and this new random one has begun. I'm not really a fan of it, to be honest. Things like 1QJ-8FW don't exactly roll off the tongue and there's not much logic to it. So it's pretty naff. And this sequence will likely run for decades. Sigh.

Pete Correy, Age 14

What's this? It's a new comic strip, that's what. It's called Pete Correy, Age 14 and for once the title needs no further explanation. It's done strictly with lineart only, with minimal shading and hand lettering, to speed up the production process. Very low-tech stuff, but that's how cartooning's gotta be sometimes. Enjoy this brief snippet of my teenage years!

Scenes From Hong Kong III

It is really two years to the day since my first Hong Kong photo post? Well, yes it is. Now I'm back from my second trip to Hong Kong, which was just as good as the first, with more snapshots of urban life to share with you. Enough talk, let's get started.

A typical, and dare I say iconic, sight of Hong Kong harbour: one of the many junks that regularly cross the waters. Their red sails are something that sets off the scenery, day or night.

It's Pikachu! In a shirt and tie on a Canon advertising poster! Well, I think it is, anyway. The makers of Pokemon might think otherwise.

It's nice to see old-fashioned signage on store fronts in 2013, given the short turnaround time some of these shops have. I also like the idea of there being a "knitting factory". Is it a big room full of old women, knitting all the garments, wrapping them up tight, and sending them off to the Lee Kung Man Knitting Factory (H.K.) Ltd.?

Note that the Chinese characters for "Lee Kung Man" are written right-to-left – something that isn't too common these days.  

"I Resurrect The Destructed", proclaims this oddly-grammared advertisement. Well so do I, but you don't hear me bragging about it.

More HK fun next post.