Catmasutra - Blossoms

It's CNY again!! Well, it's great that the eve is on a Saturday which means that most of us get a full day off before reunion dinner... It's a real lazy afternoon for me and I realised I've been surfing the net trying to find an automatic self-cleaning kitty litter box! yep.. I'm tired of clearing shit haha...(in more ways than one) Actually, an automatic one would be great on occasions when the owners want to go for a holiday... Saw this model, Scoop Free LB1 Self-Cleaning Litter Box by PetSmart... seems interesting but the refill catridges cost $75 for 6 and each can last about 15 days for 2 cats. The box costs about$115. I didn't even know Singapore Post is working with Amazon to sell these stuff. Haha I must come down from the "mountain" more often. It's raining now and I'm just staring out at the window like my cats... Not a very nice view - HDB flats, some trees and light traffic on the roads - but a little space is a blessing already!

I remember when we first came here before they built another condo. The view was different then. There was this open grass patch that is “guarded” by a great big tree. Beyond the tree lay this wilderness with foliage so dense that you believed led to another fairy tale land. Migratory birds flocked there, storks, cranes, humming birds (not our usual set of urban birds). Sometimes you could see packs of dogs emerging from the “forest” as they scour along the drains looking for something. It’s as if the tree is the energy of this life. I loved the view so much that I bought a high table and chairs and promptly placed them in front of the window. Then the tree was torn down. The ground broke open. The birds disappeared. The space vanished and it was as if it never existed. I have never opened the curtains nor looked through that window till today. Strangely enough, I remember the tree vividly.

Catmasutra - My Valentine

Three hours past Valentine's Day... A recollection... one of the first pieces I've done in 2006! This piece called "My valentine" didn't make it to Catmasutra 3 as a couple found us and bought it from my home! Only on special occasions can you find the cat (Halo) not having its fishbone and of course, this is one of those times. The rose. haha the significance of this flower, love in its myriad forms, red with passion, and the thorns that will most certainly come with it... Remember, the best relationship is one in which the love for each other exceeds the need for each other as prescribed by the Dalai Lama no less... Haha if you haven't found your true love yet, adopt a cat from cat welfare society or SPCA! "My Valentine" is also in the postcard book and coasters collection... You can get them at
1.The Esplanade shop
2.The Museum shop by Banyan Tree
3.Images of Singapore at Sentosa
4.Ig's Heaven at Marina Square
5.Singapore Discovery Centre Gift Shop

Okay, my eyes are closing on me now... darkness zzzZZZZZZZ
Another parting advice from the man, "Appoach love and cooking with reckless abandon"... Hmmmm.... yummy!

Catmasutra - Alter ego and Portrait of a Cat

This is a big piece I did in 2005 for Catmasutra 2 measuring 29 x 40 inches - a cat that is larger than life!! While painting for the annual Catmasutra exhibition, each new painting will take its place on the walls, radiating its own blend of Catmasutra magic. Nearing the exhibition, I normally run out of walls to hang the paintings. Haha - it's simply wonderful when they're all up! The whole place will come alive and you can't help but be cheered by the wide grins and the irrepressible nature of these "cats". Sometimes Halo and Angel will be near the paintings and it's quite surreal - haha! I really enjoyed that period, and would be sad when I have to transport them to the gallery. It would be quiet again. "Portrait of a cat" is also in the postcard book. So I have this postcard framed up and sometimes I would wake up to its wide grin. Hmm it'll then remind me of how I should treat each day (kinda like a personal smiling buddha of sorts). I think we take many things for granted and with each passing day, we may lose something precious if we're not careful. It's 3 am and I'm writing this entry and listening to the theme song from Pan's Labyrinth. It's a cool movie distorting the line between reality, fantasy and imagination. What's real? What's not? How do we know the difference? Do we want to know the reason? haha I really should be zzzzzzzzZZZZZZ.

Catmasutra II - Cat's Sutra

Cat's sutra – a life state -; Felt good to do a bigger piece like this where I can apply the broader strokes more freely, a freeform signature almost. Completed this piece in Dec 2006 where if you remember, it rained like crazy.

Hmm… I have always been fascinated by the rain, probably because I used to watch the rain together with my cat in the yard. It’s an old terrace house in Serangoon Gardens that my grandmother and father bought, with a covered but open-air kitchen. This led out to the yard where we had a two-seater swing and bamboo poles to hang out the laundry. My dad once dug out a small garden, and planted papaya trees, but closed it up soon after. “Man builds, man destroys” Haha – a quote from my dad. When the rain came pelting down, we would either play in the rain, drop paper boats into the longang (monsoon drain), or stay indoors; If I was lucky, my cat would be in the kitchen yard as well, watching the rain.

There’s an ethereal quality about the raining, the chief chef’s secret ingredients all thrown into the pot – a bittersweet assortment of foreboding, redemption, and contentment. It’s raining again today as it was. I was experimenting with the natural flow of water in this painting, to re-create the effect of rain in the background. Amidst the storm, the cat remains sheltered looking at the world with its wide grin. I painted the background first, dripped diluted white paint down the canvas and watched the raining ;). This is the third Buddha painting I did for the Catmasutra series, with the previous two done in Catmasutra 2005. I can't help but feel a connection between the way a cat "meditates" (when it's just sitting there comfortably... surveying what goes on) and the statuesque presence of Buddha. Perhaps it's the moment of "be" where everything is what it is supposed to be - there at that precise moment…

Catmasutra III - Cloud 9

"Cloud 9" is based on the longitudinal sleeping position of Angel (Russian Blue cat). It has a long body and he's definitely not shy in posing and showing off. Halo, on the other hand sleeps like there's no tomorrow, and she's getting fatter and rounder. Most of my paintings are based on the looks of Halo but the personality of Angel. The clouds are a favorite motif of Rene Magritte, and I can't resisit painting Angel/Halo sleeping on them. Just feel too damn comfortable. Haha now I feel like sleeping too...


Didn't really take any photos for Catmasutra III, but good thing I found a site which did - Haha - Here's the link if you want to take a look...at sparklette.net Thanks for the photos...