Freedom to choose

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress

can be judged by the way its animals are treated”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

Do we treat our animals well? How does our government view animals? If  I were to venture an answer, the answer would be they have no views. They are not significant enough unless they're the cause (or suspected of being the cause) of an epidemic, or there are complaints from the 'majority of Singaporeans' (one of the favourite phrases that you'll hear ... We have grown a lot as a nation, and yet in many ways, we have not grown at all... Sometimes you wonder... A woman feeds a group of stray cats, and the most common comments you'll hear is "Is this hygienic? Should we call the authorities?" There're so many hit-and-run cases regarding cats that you wonder about the nature of people.

Ever occur to you why some of us can be
this much concerned with animals suffering? 
Because government is not.  Why not? 
Animals don't vote.  ~Paul Harvey

Sat on my Ikea stool at the yard at 3 am, listening to music from my Ipod, eating sesame moon cake and drinking green tea, and talking philosophy (not much point with regard to politics). I think this phrase is true, '90% of what we feel is only our own interpretation', meaning that we are all addicted or attached to something, and finding means and reasons to justify them. We are all addicts, one way or another, and it's difficult to let go - to change one habit for another. It's hard because we normally try to replace a bad habit with a good one. Makes you wonder how we pick up all these bad habits in the first place; it's as if we are being subconsciously hypnotized (which may be true in more ways than one). Finished another painting today. It's rather an experimental one, called the "color of yellow". Slowing life down to exacting beauty. It's a beautiful way to live when the present is all you have.

 Angel, my blue Russian has taken an instant liking to a key-chain teddy bear that I brought home, and as we adjourned into the yard, he has taken upon himself to carry the teddy bear to near where we sat, half-looking at us, hoping that we'll play catch again. Haha, he's looking for it now although I have hid it before he pulls out the limbs...

peace ;)

catmaSutra Artees
10% goes to Cat Welfare Society

With animals,
we have the freedom to choose...
to love, protect, care  OR to fear, hate, abuse

How we choose

determines the kind of person that we are.

Nothing goes away,

we get better or we get worse.

;)

Catmasutra Cat-inspired Collectibles

Finally got down to it and finished at least the first phase of stuff at cafePress! Yay! Now you can get all kinds of Catmasutra collectibles at www.cafepress.com/catmasutra. It's fun putting these things together and I'm always quite amused at how these paintings turn out from big buttons, small buttons, magnets, mousepads, tote bags, to throw pillows and keepsake boxes. My favorite are the journals! Well, I'll probably be the first person to buy them, wahahahha! I have started categorizing my art and it's interesting to see the kind of stuff that I usually paint, like a street directory of the world of the Catmasutra cats haha!

I have the SURREALIST POP section where you find the cats in improbable situations, like sleeping in the clouds, smoking a cigarette, or negotiating with tree frogs and sparrows! And I have the CAT ART PARODY of course, where the cat weave its way into masterpieces by Monet, Magritte, Hockney, Warhol, Botero! And the QUIRKY & IRREVERENT section, probably reflecting my inclination to get away from rules as much as possible (Funny that we always assume that without rules, man's inherent 'bad-ness' will take over and there will be world chaos ). LOVE & OTHER TEMPTATIONS explores the Catmasutra cat in all sorts of enviable positions while WINE & DINE, COCKTAILS AND CAT TALES speak of art of levitation with Lychee Martini, whiskey, sushi and wasabi. Last but not least, a KARMIC BLISS section where you find the cat in silent repose, majestic and peaceful in the presence of the divine! This is the first phase so I could only put up a couple of images, but that's the road map!

Sometimes I feel like I'm returning to an earlier time where I was an editor for children's books, as well as writing and illustrating a couple of books for children. It's like having a beginner's mind, looking at the simplest things and transforming them into something magical (haha Most things magical comes from the world of children). The deeper you weave into it, the more magic you can find, and that's when imagination takes us away. I guess as children, there are no road blocks. The runway is clean and clear, and the sky's literally the limit. As in the Golden Compass, all things are still changeable before the dust settles and as in Star Wars, both Anakin and Luke have been denied Jedi training in the first instance because they are too old. They have already seen the road blocks and signs that point the other way!

;)