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Jul 27, 2012

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na, BATMAN!

When The Dark Knight Rises came out, so many people in my Facebook feed and Twitter timeline started posting up spoilers and urging other people to go watch the movie.

I've watched the movie, now it's my turn to post up spoilers nyehehe!

Here ya go.  
 

Teehee. :3

ADDENDUM:
It is a great movie that will forever be tainted by the Denver Massacre. Gunman James Holmes opened fire in a cinema at the midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, and killed 12 people while injuring 58 others.

Chris Nolan even gave out a statement in behalf of the crew and Christian Bale decided to visit the victims of the shooting unannounced.

This is unprecedented event.

My prayers to the family of the victims and the family of Holmes. This is a terrible time, yes, but I hope they will find peace.

Jul 21, 2012

Boleh Bah Filem Kita!

The Borneo Eco Film Festival (BEFF) is a not-for-profit free event held annually to celebrate Borneo's bio-cultural diversity through showcasing environmental films and nurturing local community film-making.

This year's edition will be held  from 28th to 30th September 2012 (Friday to Sunday) at Kompleks JKKN, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

BEFF is divided into two parts:
  • SUARA, Community Filmmaking workshops + talks
  • Film Screenings
I attended one of their workshops earlier this month, and it was really fun and informative. It's not often that I get to hold a monster-sized camera XD (I’m a closet shutterbug hehehe). I learned very basic film-making tips and tricks, and even live-tweeted the event (whenever I could). :3

The speakers were Mr. Chris Chong and Mr. Ikhwan Rivai.

And with that, I have good news for all local filmmakers and photography/video enthusiasts! The Borneo Eco Film Festival is selecting 10 local short films to be shown at their Boleh Bah Filem Kita! screening, scheduled for 29 September 2012.

Boleh Bah Filem Kita! (BBFK) is organized by Borneo Geographic! The 10 films will be selected from entries submitted to the Boleh Bah Filem Kita! Short Film Competition.

So take this opportunity to warm up your camera, think of a wonderful topic, shoot, edit, and send in your entries to be selected!

So what will they be looking for?
  • Films that demonstrate how people relate to their environment;
  • Films under 10 minutes in length; and
  • Films shot in Borneo by people living in Borneo.
If your film is not in English, it should come with subtitles.

If you think your film fits the bill, then you should e-mail your entries to submissions@beff.org.my.

And just what do you stand to win, I wonder? :3


So get going! The submission date is on the 1st of September 2012! Good luck munya!

For more information, here’s the link to the Facebook page of the Borneo Eco Film Festival. You can also e-mail them at info@beff.org.my.

Jul 17, 2012

Swashbucklingly Nyarrsome!

In an earlier post, I talked about pirate buses. They are normal over here in Sabah. These bus rides are uncomfortable and very rarely an enjoyable time for me.

I particularly hate it when it's raining. The buses would be cold, full of mosquitoes and half-full. As I mentioned before, the bus will only move after all the seats are taken. So more often than not, it'll end up being a long wait. After a long day of work, this is not a happy way to travel home.

Over the years I have learned to endure it and find some distractions to do. Ganaesh, wanting to cheer me up during the long uncomfortable wait, will usually talk to me for as long as it takes.

Ganaesh would make up random nonsense stories and I would follow his lead. On one such occasion, he started talking about pirate buses and what would happen if they were driven by cats. "They would be pirate cats," I said, "and they would go Nyaar! instead of Nyaa!"

It quickly became a moment of imagination going rampant. It stuck in my mind so strongly that I immediately started sketching upon reaching home.

The first few sketches didn't turn out right.

I went through a few pages of paper until... HE WAS BORN!
Everybody... NYARRRR!

He doesn't have a name yet, but he's so... so... SWASHBUCKLINGLY NYARRSOME! Can you come up with a name? :3

Jul 12, 2012

My WWWOW-tastic Journey!

Hi everyone!

I haven’t been updating as much as I would like to these past few weeks. D: Sorry sorry~! The new semester has started, and I’m back working (if you don’t know this yet, I am a lecturer :3). There are a bunch of back-dated blog updates that are waiting to be posted on Munya Munya!... and this is one of them!

So this is a super-long story of how Munya Munya! beat the odds and ended up at the 2012 DiGi WWWOW Awards Night. :3 It's super-duper-ultra-WAHLIAOWEI-long to make up for the weeks of absence from Munya Munya!

Enjoy! :D



I started Munya Munya! with very few expectations. I love to draw, and I love to tell stories. It's just that simple. Some people may draw better pictures than me or tell better stories than me, and that's totally okay. But in Munya Munya!, the stories are my own and the drawings are my own. I just thought it would be nice if people got to read and enjoy my stories, too. Ganaesh even ended up being a permanent part of Munya Munya! by being the editor and PR guy for the blog! :D (And I get paid with pictures of cats! :D -Ed.)

Being online means you are never alone. There’s always a group or a community you can join that suits you. Being a comic blogger in Malaysia means that sooner or later you'll end up bumping into other comic bloggers, and that's what happened to me. The list of Malaysian comic bloggers you see at the sidebar *points to right* is not just for show. These people do exist. They, too, have their own stories to tell.

Some may be more prominent than others, but we do keep in touch online. The list is getting longer every day, and I hope one day to have the opportunity to meet every single one of them in person. They have tirelessly provided support, help and advice for Munya Munya! from the very beginning.

But the biggest support for Munya Munya! has come from you. I know you're out there. Thank you so much for reading this post (and all the posts that came before it), for showing love and support, for being concerned over me and cheering me on when I needed it. I've never felt so loved before this. I am very very humbled by it. You made Munya Munya! your own. Thank you so much nyaa!!!

A few months ago, I made the decision to join the 2012 DiGi WWWOW Awards. I remembered there being categories for “Funniest Blog” and “Cutest Blog" the previous year, but I thought that it was just too soon for Munya Munya! to enter the competition. But I decided that 2012 was the year, so I decided to go for it... only to realize that both the categories weren't there!

Was I was already defeated before I even entered?! D:

So, I asked around, asked people’s opinions. Ganaesh came up with the bright idea of entering Munya Munya! for the Blogger of the Year category. I wasn’t really convinced about it; I didn’t have much of an online presence, and my constant online activity only revolved around Munya Munya!.

But I decided: What the heck? Let’s just go for it! HUNGAAA! \o/

Nominees weren't allowed to to see the number of votes that they were getting, and the voting itself had to be done daily at the official website. I wasn’t convinced that I’d have enough support. All throughout the voting period, I was convinced that I’d get only 1 vote per day, and only from Ganaesh. (It's nice to be proven wrong, kan? :D -Ed.)

But... but... Y U PROVE ME WRONG? Eh... I mean... Y U PEOPLE SO AWSM ONE?!

I had a serious shock when the voting period ended and Munya Munya! was confirmed to be in the top 50! TOP 50! I was flabbergasted! I was gobsmacked! And I seriously thought it would end there... and then an e-mail appeared in my inbox. It wasn't very long, but the content almost gave me a heart attack because it stated that MUNYA MUNYA WAS IN THE TOP 10! AIIIIEEEEE YOU GUYS VOTED FOR ME UNTIL I WAS IN THE TOP 10 YOU CRAZY WONDERFUL PEOPLE IF I COULD REACH OUT THROUGH THIS COMPUTER SCREEN AND HUG EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU I WOULD NYEEE!!!

*eherm* Sorry about that. It won't happen again... maybe. :D

The e-mail stated that the winners will only be announced during the awards night, which meant that I had to be there. And I knew that wasn't going to happen. “Buuu, I won’t be able to go there”. I'm a Sabahan based in Sabah and plane tickets are prohibitively expensive, especially if you try to attempt a last-minute booking. So I thought, "well, that's that." I'd just ask Ganaesh to go to the awards night on my behalf and be done with it.

AND AGAIN I WAS PROVEN WRONG NYAAA! X3

An angel of a friend gave me an offer I couldn't refuse, and had me flown all the way from Sabah to the 2012 DiGi WWWOW Awards night! HOW FRICKIN' AMAZING IS THAT?!

So there I was, all trembling and shocked, still trying to take in the fact that I really was at the awards night! The e-mail stated that I could bring up to 3 friends, so of course I filled up the quota!
I brought Ganaesh, Nao and Mogi as my dates :3
Nao (left) and Mogi (right). Notice his mouth. It's called the "Mulut T". That's his trademark. XD

There was free noms (meehoon goreng!) and free drinks (stacks of Chatime drinks! :3) and me, being a Malaysian, tapau-ed one Chatime Milky tea home (while also scolding myself for not bringing a bigger bag to tapau more stuff back home...)! :D

Ganaesh and Nao kept feeding me cakes and cupcakes that I forgot to be scared. Why was I scared? For starters, I was among the "heavyweights" of the Malaysian online scene. I could finally see the people behind the blogs that have been online longer, and had a much bigger fanbase than Munya Munya!. In short, I thought they were all so cool that it felt awkward being among them.

As for Mogi... well, he kept doing things like this all night long which kept me in stitches. :D

"...I'm a koala."

There were all sorts of cool things there. There were little booths selling all kinds of cupcakes and brownies and handmade natural soaps and clothes and accessories. The cupcake lady was very nice :3 I told her that her cupcakes were delicious and she told me my namecard was cute! <3 There was also a photo booth and a makeup booth!

Mogi drew this for me! 
If you remember my namecard design, it also had balloons! :D I originally asked for a steampunk engine but Mogi looked like he was going to faint. So I changed my request to a balloon.

...still want that steampunk engine, though. :3

I was already wearing make up...
...so I asked Nao to go for the free makeover that was being provided at the makeup booth...
...and then... we kissed. :"3
If Nao wasn’t there I would’ve asked Ganaesh to go for the makeover, instead. XD (Eh, what? o.0 -Ed.)

The hall was HUGE! The event started with the live performance of  "Lembu Nak Jaga", with the actual "singers" from the video doing the performing.
Yes, a bunch of men! In boxers! On stage!

When I first saw the music video I thought they were the actual singers. Turns out they were lip syncing! (Of course! XD) Music video ish below, look look!


When it came to the emcee for the night... *sigh* My sympathies.

I mean, look!
 It's not easy wearing makeup, wig and that killer dress! S(he) even flirted with people!
The guys in the video looked familiar? That’s Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook) and Timothy Tiah (founder of Nuffnang, also known as "that guy who proposed to his girlfriend using memes"). The guests in the hall were so serious-lah! They very rarely laughed at his jokes. Tough crowd that night. Tch.

There were some celebrities that I recognized that night. Mia Sara, Zainal Abidin, JJ and Ean from hitz.fm, and One Buck Short.
Remember how I said the crowd that night was a tough bunch? The same thing kept happening in all the categories: when a nominee was announced that wasn't particularly well-known... no-one cheered. No-one. The same thing happened when the time came for our category. I was so deathly afraid that Munya Munya! was about to get the silent treatment from the crowd. Would Munya Munya! end up making The Final 5?

Well...
 YES WE DID!!!

Ganaesh held my hand tight said and that he was already so proud of me, no matter how it would end up that night. *tears* He also said a bunch more but I couldn’t hear them over the loud music. :") (Oi! -_- -Ed.)

When the presenter announced Munya Munya!, the most amazing thing happened: half the hall cheered together with Ganaesh, Nao and Mogi! (Or it could be that they were still cheering for Ernest’s Bro Don't Like That Bro... but I'd like to think they were cheering for us too XD)

The moment of truth came, and the winner was...

XD Well, to be honest it wasn’t such a surprise to us-lah. His blog very the hebat one woo! Hehehe...

To be honest, it did feel bad. It felt that I let you down for not winning after all that voting you did. I'm really really sorry for that. But we did manage to get into The Final 5! :3 For a blog that's only a year old, I do think it's an amazing achievement. Don't you? ;)

After the awards ceremony ended, Nao asked if I wanted to meet Ernest. I said yes, but I was also quite shy. (Yes, I am a SHY person, believe it or not!) (Don't believe it. *shakes head* -Ed.)
I tried to think of things to distract myself from meeting Ernest...
Nao would have none of that. She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the stage area, where Ernest was taking pictures with the other winners. We finally got to meet up! I even met one of the Bros that's always featured in his comics, Daryl. (If you visit his blog, you'd know who I'm talking about. XD) I was starstruck by them both, kinda like meeting celebrities!

I keep forgetting that nobody knows how I look like offline (Ernest told me this), so here’s a photo of me and the winner of THE 2012 DiGi WWWOW BLOGGER OF THE YEAR AWARD!
Of course, I had to nyafist the trophy!

I am happy that Ernest won! :D VIVA MALAYSIAN COMIC BLOGGERS! Hip hip HURRAY!

But it turns out that some people weren’t happy with the fact that Ernest won the award, and attacked him on his blog and through e-mail. Ernest, being the classy guy that he is, came up with an equally classy response for all the haters! (Sorry ya Ernest, I borrow your comic nyan! :D)
 

I had a wonderful time at the 2012 DiGi WWWOW Awards night, even though my feet were killing me (I hate wearing heels). I was thankful that Ganaesh, Nao and Mogi were there, together with me. I am forever grateful for your votes and I think you guys are awesome. I will keep on drawing and blogging! I will find time to do so! I will!

Thank you for making Munya Munya! a part of your life. I believe that although Munya Munya didn’t win the award, Munya Munya! has won a lot of hearts. :3

Here’s to you! Cheers!

P.S: TOP 5, you alls! TOP 5! TOP FIVE! XD
P.P.S: I wonder if there were any more Sabahan bloggers there during the awards night...
P.P.P.S: If you're a comic blogger, please contact us. Remember, you are not alone... not alone... not alone...

Jul 10, 2012

Web Head Love!

Hey, have you watched the recent Spider-Man movie? The "Amazing" one?

Yes? No?

I really wanted to watch this movie because it features my favourite leading lady: Gwen Stacy!

What's that? There was a Gwen Stacy character before this? Yeah, but that Gwen was all wrong! I hated Mary Jane (sorry, MJ fans!) because... well, I feel she is just too shallow. The one Gwen Stacy storyline that had a great impact on me was during Marvels #4, drawn by  the great Alex Ross and story by Kurt Busiek.

I cried reading that issue.

Oh yes, the movie. The movie is AMAZING!

You never realized you had a desire to web-swing like Spidey until you watched this movie! Do try to watch it in 3D if you can! It works!

I don't want to give out any spoilers, but the canon still hold true in this story. Keep in mind that this is the one character that Marvel loves to "torture". Yes, Marvel, I said it. I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to Scarlet Spider and Ben Reilly.

Tragedy will always follow Peter. ALWAYS.

I say it again, go and enjoy the movie! To commemorate the awesomeness of Peter Parker a.k.a Spidey, here's a fanart I made of Peter and Gwen.
"Mary Jane falls in love with Spider-Man. Gwen Stacy falls in love with PETER PARKER."
- Emma Stone

Love from, Your Friendly Neighbourhood Munya! :3