>>> Rising in the East of Life...

... or setting in the West of Death?

STUFF Banzai Skullion

This is the first [proper] concept piece since about two to three months ago, it's rough, raw, sketchy and not cleaned up in the least. And I'm not apologetic about it in the least since it seems to work in the design's favour.

Inspired by (1) the question posed by the title, (2) the Japanese traditional depiction of the Rising Sun, and (3) the manga Air Gear by Oh! Great, a certain patch/insignia design on one of the volumes' covers, the design was originally sketched in pencil with GraphGears, followed by inking with a mix of Artliners (Copics, Artlines & Sakura Microns) and then finally coloured with both texters (Staedtler Triplus & ZIG Clean Colour) plus shading with Faber-Castell colour pencils.

The final, full-paged illustration was photographed with a Sony Ericsson C702 Cyber-Shot mobile. It was uploaded to the nearest available computing device to be tossed into Adobe PS CS5 where a t-shirt template was lapped over it and then cropped. Sounds easy, but wasn't, even though it was pretty simple to execute, in theory.

Say hello to the very first t-shirt [concept] design from the original label [concept] STUFF, the Banzai Skullion!

Hopefully, one day, this t-shirt will see the light of day, being produced in limited quantities for your consumption.

PEACE!

>>> Walking along the borders...

... of melancholy and wistfulness, steeped in the colours of fading sunsets.

While in the store, I was clearing out my wallet. You know, just to chuck out all the name cards and stuff that I don't need or that are taking up space.

And I found something that I'd clearly forgot having. And, to be honest, I felt that I shouldn't have forgotten in the first place since it's one of the most prized possessions that I have... and just for its sentimental and emotional value.

Just a small sheet, a page torn from a book, could be considered to be no more than a little slip of paper with a cute print of humanoid bird of some kind flying a single prop plane in the top right corner and filled with the print-like script of words from someone who loved me, once upon a time. And whom I still love, even now, so long after the fact, regardless of returns.

*shrugs sadly*

I remember receiving it from her just when we were starting to go out together. You know, the whole romantic phase of things, getting to know each other better. Discovering what lies beneath everything of the other and self. I miss those times and then some after.

The words upon the sheet mean so much to me... well, it will stay in my wallet till it rots, for as long as I live. No one has loved me that way before nor will again in future, for each one loves another in a different way.

*sighs deeply*

For those who care to know what's written on that slip of paper, SORRY! It's private.

TOTALLY private.

Okay? Alright then.

Suffice to say it evokes equal parts sadness and joy through melancholy and wistfulness.

Well, y'all have a good day now!

I'm off to read.

>>> Stepped out...

... onto a field of darkness descendant.

While at work, towards the end of the shift, my mind started wandering and stepped out onto a field of darkness descending from across the horizons of my mind's eye. Something within my consciousness snapped and shuddered, like reeds in a gale.

Needing to let it out, my hands first scrawled in a rushed scribble across crinkled paper before committing the words to the screens of the wide panoramas of the internet. My fingers danced across the keys, black print almost floating off of my screen, swimming before my eyes as the words became lines, turned to phrases, transformed into a passage.

And the finished piece rests here, its tendrils of darkness seeping into the subconscious of your computer's hardwired memory...

... or perhaps it's just a figment of an active imagination. We can but hope, ey, my friends?

An inner fire grows dim,
Vessels hollow and cold.
And yet, and yet,
A sliver so slim
Familiar twitch of old
Innards writhe and sweat
Till the world explodes
In a mind's eye overload.
Do tell, fair maiden,
Where, how and when
This will go and end?

FIN.

>>> A long weekend...

... lies ahead of me.

Lots to do, so little time. But there's no denying that I have an awesome job!

Even if someone has managed to steel a Sector 9 Carbon TR3 (red) carbon fiber longboard from the store's display shelves in Scape on Wednesday. *grimaces* Of all the stupid things to happen, that kind of thing has to happen.

FUCK.

So, since my parents are apparently MENTAL, the house is going to be pulled out from under my feet, and my money keeps going missing in the house plus some of my momney has disappeared from the bank... well, let's just say that being frustrated is an understatement.

And scratch the apparently bit about my parents. They are mental.

Oh. My. Freaking. God.

I just wanted to sleep. Is that too much to ask for???

Apparently, yes. -___-

>>> Such bloody dreams...

... do humans have.

Woke up this morning feeling even more tired than when I went to sleep. Even more so due to a strangely disturbing dream that I had.

Especially since it had me waking up with a silent scream and almost bathed in cold sweat.

Allow me to relate the details of my travails within the Realms of Dreams.

I was in a dim room, lying face down on a wooden counter-top of some kind, the grains of wood rough against my skin. What light there was shone down through a grimy bulb fixed to a lamp swinging from the ceiling.

My wrists and ankles were tied down, the cords chaffing, yet bound tight. I was only able to crane my neck up a little off the table to see a full-length mirror with words scrawled across it in a dark red paste almost like clotted blood. I realize now that the mirror was how I knew the swinging lamp was above me. The words swam across the mirror's surface like words typed across a screen, seemingly alive.

All I could make, from among the multitude of passages and phrases, was this, "Broken thou art, thy back snapped, thy heart lost. She careth not for thee, or, as more likely, careth not enough by far. Close thou standst, yet further from thy reach doth She dance and caper. Thou havest no need for that which is already broken."

It is still seared in my mind's eye. I can only hope that it fades away soon. It is really quite disturbing.

Yet again, through the mirror, I catch sight of two faceless women with long, curly hair, dressed in blood splattered and ragged nurse-like dresses. And when I say faceless, I really do mean faceless. Faceless without any features, flat and as plain as a plate. As one of them moves, her hair swings, her bangs sweeping across her forehead, I catch a glimpse a symbol that looks almost Japanese carved into her forehead.

(After much searching, I finally found the closest possible kanji to it: 死)

I strangely feel no fear or wonder or any sort of emotion. It is like I'm numb on the inside. I'm watching, with detachment, as one of the faceless nurses produces a scalpel of her palm. A scalpel the length of my middle finger.

And while one presses down on my shoulders, the scalpel wielder plunges the scalpel down between my shoulder blades and in one movement, slices my back open all the way down to the base of my back. My flesh parts like butter sliced with a red-hot knife, the blood that sprays in the air vaporising as though the air was boiling hot.

My back feels like somewhat has set me on fire by throwing me into a raging bonfire with my skin already torn off. I scream but no sound comes out, my eyes are open so wide that I can almost feel my eyelids going back into my eye sockets.

Then the two nurses rip out my spine.

The raging pain disappears, replaced by a low burning sensation and a fading sting-like pain.

And then I watch in horror as one nurse drives her arm in through my open back and digs around for a while before pulling her arm out in a fountain of spraying blood and chunks of meat.

She's holding my heart in a crushing grip with her up-stretched arm and...

It's. Not. Beating.

I try to scream, my mouth opened wide...

... and I wake up in my bed, mouth open to scream but no sound coming out.

And I swear that my back felt like it was on fire and for a few moments I think I couldn't feel my heart at all. The weird, vivid dreams that plague my sleep, and this is the worst nightmare of all time so far.

Hope the rest of you can sleep peacefully.

Or at least more than I do.

>>> Past midnight...

... and feeling like concussing on the floor.

But I can't quite yet. Something within is tormenting me continuously. I think that I know what it is, but can't be sure.

I have my patience and according to a lot of people, regardless of my impulsiveness at times, I have an infinite amount of it. Not quite, though, everything has a limit. And it feels like it's being tested to that line.

*grimaces*

I can't shake the feeling that I'm being dragged along by the throat. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

This hurts, mentally.

Crap.

Need sleep.

Really, really need sleep.

>>> Sadly at work...

... alone and hungover.

When you miss someone, it is often difficult to distract yourself. Even more so when love songs and ballads are being played or performed in your immediate vicinity.

It just stokes the fires of that "hunger", if you know what I'm getting at.

Human emotions. Easily played by various factors.

Go figure.

*shrug*

>>> Back...

... to where it all began!

The Boards-and-Stuff "Originals" crew is back in the house at its roots in Far East, y'all!

Now, before you get confused, the store at far East was being run by a different crew under a separate management but under the auspices of the BNS name. However, the store has been "returned" to the Originals from the beginning of September.

And, after a short makeover/revamp, the store is once again open for BIZ-ness!!

Sporting a brand, spanking new look and concept, pandering to the lifestyle and culture of the skate scene, the store looks dead inviting and very sleek!

With brands such as VOX, SUPRA and KREW plus the slew of decks from the likes of Deathwish and Real, it's got something for almost any kind of skater, regardless of whether you're punk, hip-hop, ghetto fab or just keeping it real-and-gritty. Pointblank, it's somewhere to be and check out with cool stuff to get.

'Nuff said!

So, drop by, say "HEY!" and swap a quick fistbump-shake with the BNS crew over there.

Anytime from 12.30 in the PM till 9 at night!

CHECK IT, AIIGHT!!!

>>> For those Drop Dead fans...

... a simple wallpaper using one of their bylines.



Phrases on a white background, sized for most generic screens with a resoultion of 1280x1024.

The clothing company that spawned this can be found by clicking here: Drop Dead.

ENJOY!

>>> Fatigued to the bones...

... but it was so worth it!

FREE THE ROBOTS had an awesome ass-kicking, ear-blowing, mind-blasting and body-rocking one-hour long set at Home Club; which was preluded by The Crazy88, who put on an amazing show to crank the crowd up even more for FtR. I wish that I had pictures and/or videos to show, but my mobile's built-in camera wouldn't work in the dimness of the club nor do I own a powerful camera. Yet.

But suffice to say that the sets played, especially by Free The Robots, were totally amazing (I know that I'm using this word a lot, but it's the straight up truth), getting everyone pumped and rocking. True to the hype, FtR delivered and then some, his energy and passion at the decks spreading like a contagion on crack to the crowd. The crowd was rocking out, no holds barred!

However, the night was marred by an altercation between two couples [one of which was reportedly the owners of Home) towards the end of FtR's set. To be honest, I am ashamed of the crowd's reaction towards the incident and I'll leave it at that since it doesn't matter in the long run and didn't ruin the party overall.

It was still a great night, especially hanging with the ever gorgeous (yet tired) Nell, the keeping-it-chill-and-taking-it-slow Louis Q and the alcohol-blasted Roz (who raps something wicked when he's tanked up! XD).

Louis was a great listener; and, hopefully my advice helps him out with his current sitrep.

Now to take my own advice and take things slow, too.

Y'all have a good day and week ahead, I'm out for now, leaving you with a music video of FtR's track Jazzhole.

LATERS!!!