My Nightmare & belated season's greetings

My Nightmare
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

Sorry there hasn't been a lot of activity on my blog... I was busy in africa then got home only to get a fever... that ended with in hospital over christmas... not a fun thing to do by the way

my new ipod was one blessing

Farewell Africa II

Another photo of my final morning in africa... western africa this time... and the hamattan winds have already begun

And yes folks it is another phonecam photo

trying out e-cards

Those that know me will know how easily I am distracted by fun "toys" on the net... well I have found I can produce E-cards.... (it's a free service, through bravenet, so there are ads, but they are not too annoying)... anyway I will put a range of popular images on them.... including some "motivational" style ones.... Those that get used I will leave.... those that don't i'll change.... and let me know if you Like (or Hate) them! Are they worthy to put on the right-hand side stuff

Retrieving an E-Card?

Enter Card Pick-up ID below:

getting all the pieces in the right place

I managed to kill my notebook computer a few weeks ago... and survive without it... well I didg borrow a very snazzy and much little HP (was a bit sad to give it ack).... but now I have got myself a new computer, another Toshiba satellite (thankfully I had insured the previous one)... in 15" wide screen no less... I love it..

The tricky bit is getting everything set up again... its amazing how many little things need to be done.



Wow a whole month since my last post... sorry about that!

on the road again

on the road again, originally uploaded by sigh clone.

parliment building bishkek

parliment_bishkek
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

well I am still managing to get to those out of the way places... this place was the scene of a major "peacefull" democratic protest recently... whilst the town is pretty run down... bishkek and the surround countryside has massive tourist potential, quiet a hidden secret... buggar have I let the cat out of the bag

The Russian Compound

The Russian Compound
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

Instead of being a the caulfield races ... i find myself looking for a guy who is following migrating birds across central asia ... such is life

Be Right Back

Be Right Back
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

post might be less regular... and by cameraphone

Are you game... ?

those that know me... and especially the flickr side... will know I am easily distracted and love to play with new stuff... especially the toys & games over in flickr... well here is a really reall great one...






nude sudoku... all you need to do is click on the image above it will take uou to a new game...


if you are not a sudoku addict already maybe try out on the normal numeric puzzles that seem to be everywhere these days... its a fraction harder with images... but so much fun



Flickr sudoku was created by becky

waiting at the pass

waiting at the pass
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

Rescuing the rescuers...today we are up really high up on the slopes of the western side of the himalayas, waiting for a lorry to arrive to with an earthquake relief team... we will then ferry them with some fresh avgas to their grounded chopper... it is cold and the air is so rarified you can not walk and talk at the same time... and one who tries gets giddy... I think I'll just sketch as i wait... out of the wind

bloody hell a signal on my mobile (wonder what this will cost)

There is massive earthquake damage around here, but people are turning up to help (so in some ways they are luckier here than in new orleans)


I've re-scanned this

escape to the movies

back down in udaipur... thankfully the supplies are moving up nicely and the damage we saw was not so great... time for a break... well a night in a proper bed... there is even a cyber cafe...



one thing that struck me dumbfold was the big posters for bollywood blockbusters... they were everywhere, even the most run down village...





I was really taken aback by how much my sketches of aarthyr could have easily been on any one of those posters... so i just had to make a couple with fd's Flickr Toys.



BTW: with appologise to Norman lindsay and his novel the age of consent, which is the source of my ficticious plot well more the inspiration (well I think it is at least similar)...

that was the shortest every break

I'm back over the equator again... this time getting fuel for chopper up into rajasthan & kashmir... although the earthquake damage may be light here... at present no one knows so... and getting up high into the mountains is going to be a logistics challenge.

Next lesson

Next lesson, originally uploaded by sigh clone.

After the comments on the difficulty of photographing the sunrise from africa ... i though i should continue the geography lesson ... this is late in the afternoon (approaching sunset ) looking out over bass strait on the southern australian coast ...how is this possible ?

my (virtual) publishing empire

Issue 2, originally uploaded by sigh clone.

reflecting on my journey into blogging over the past year or so... i started thinking of the places I have been (both on the net and in the real world) and just how many remote places I have sent posts from... then i realised how much I had learnt and just what a powerful tool... well tools kit, since their are several individual tools... i had manage to build up for myself... i don't pretend to know much about computers... but I certailny now have a very real and power private publishing empire at my command. some parts are still not quite contributing and a few self opioinated little hypocrites in flickr I could do without... yet i can see real progress

Am I using it wisely?

well i think I am... art and beauty, specifically of real sized & big beautiful women... needs to be viewed, that is the easy bit... I trust I am doing that honestly and tastefully

now I guess the next challenge will be to earn some money with this publishing empire.

a good idea at the time

a good idea at the time
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

the last post got a lot of interest that I was able to take it with my cameraphone... so I had the idea to take a picture of me taking a picture of myself with the camera phone... well it did seemed like a good idea at the time

a new day

a new day
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

Africa is teasing me ... my last dawn is unforgetable ... even seems i am getting a lot better with my camera phone ... i have even worked out how to store this as my phone's wallpaper... next stop singapore then hopefully australia!

good outcome (at last )

good outcome (at last )
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

The bali bombings and the continuing need to evacuate the seriously injured have dominate things for of over the part 18 hours ... so the positive outcome here came as a surprise ...while others are partying and enjoying the sun ... i do want to get out of this place ... well maybe after a beer or two...

more bombs

whilst i an no where near bali or singapore... the simultatneous bombs at jimbaran and kuta on bali have kill and maimed many innocent people... well I hope the medical evac can lives and help those injured recover...

If only the courtyard doors could speak?

If only the courtyard doors could speak?
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

the doors of old zanzibar are really amazing... obviously they were

design to keep out marauding pirates, slave traders and assorted

mercenaries... every courtyard has two thick heavily studded doors to

the outside world ... most villas have no lower storey windows... they

present the street, and outside world with a high wall... a domestic

fortress

zero degrees south

zero degrees south
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

I am still trying to get out on break ... but there are definately worse places to be ... the really amazing thing is that i can email & blog from a place like this using only a mobile phone ...what is more important is the camera built into the phone , so i can also photograph & send in my sketches :)

another early morning

another early morning
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

Another morning another airport ... and its too early for the club lounges ... all the net terminals in use ... or out of order ... such ordinary coffee ... where is the adventure in this ? guess i am back to blngging from my mobile phone again ! c'est la vie

time to rethink

i've been travelling and so busy I haven't really had much time to sketching... worst the few sketches I've done are mounting up not scanned yet... thats beacuse the scanner here is my old clunker... it doesn't register delicate tone ay all well... I was hoping to use ths sketch as a new icon for the funbag fascination group... but i hit scanning difficulties (so whats new!)... and anyway it was time to watch the grand final (a real thriller won by the swans, sydney)... a match that will be remmeber for a long time i suspect



not forgetting, special thanks you to appaloosa, kelly & click girl for help and encouragement...over the past few day

re-tooling the template... (Again)

i have to admit that i'm starting to get overwhelmed by whom ever is posting spam to my blog... i just deleted them by the way... the secure template was also stopping legitamate commenst.... sorry to those affected


Anyway its back to the basics again.... sorry to any regular readers of this blog... about of the formating problems and changes... any if any of you know about these things i'd love some advice

Don't get too excited...

If Beale Street Could Talk...
Originally uploaded by ChicagoEye.

Don't get excited... look closely they are not real... but this photo is very good all the same... great composition & tonal range

i must admit i have been neglecting my moderation tasks at flickr.... its just that there are so many boring "look at me" types... trolls... and opinionated wanna bees, I was simply getting tired of it.... glad to see a new group pop up... who could ignore an invite like this

Think your wonderful nudes can pass muster under the critical eye of your fellow flickrees and flickrettes?

Then come join us over at the DeleteMe-the NUDE ART group pool:

www.flickr.com/groups/deleteme-tnap/

my escape

my escape is definitely sketching... submission for illustration friday: Escape

a slideshow... my most popular flickr'ings

Flickr Slideshow

i'm still on the road but its getting more civilized... i noticed this little snipet of code on blogger templates... thought I'd try it out... its a standard flicker applet so just move you mouse over the images to see the slidwhow controls

i'm looking for a robust template that can handle comments nicely.. unfortunately my 2 euro is about to run out... such is life

which way to zanzibar?

which way to zanzibar?, originally uploaded by sigh clone.

Sunburnt & still a long way to go .

hiding from hiedi

hiding from hiedi, originally uploaded by sigh clone.

I spent nearly a year in jo'berg about 2 years ago .. and i sketched several pretty girls.. unfortunately one has a big crush on me and is chasing me all over town .. so i can paint a mural on her bedroom wall.. of her nude !

the loosing battle

hmmm... clearly trying to post via my mpbile phone is both not working that well... and boring everyone... sorry about that.... I just stick to the drawings... and better net connections

Guiding stars

Guiding stars, originally uploaded by sigh clone.

I has been very cold in the highvelt ... but i have noticed something special at sunset ... so tonight go outside at dusk , look to the west & find the moon , it is like a jewel set between jupiter & 2 bright stars

the abandonment in usa

the abandonment in usa, originally uploaded by sigh clone.

The treatment of victims in louisiana was so different

aid starts in arche

aid starts in arche, originally uploaded by sigh clone.

Not sure if this will work ... one thing that struck me in arche was the civility of the victims ...rumah = open house

into the vortex

what is going on... flickr is refusing to display my pictures... gmail is often a sleeep... i know i'm in transit... but... what the ?



Is it the coffee in these cyber cafe transit lounges... is it just jet lag... why an i even worrying about it?

phone pinups

I have started making phone wallpaper out of my most viewed sketches on flickr... if you have the technology you download to your phine you can try downloading these (below)... I will also make these available on my myphone blog...

The biggest problems is i don't know if there is a "right" size for phine wallpapers.... so for this lots I'm starting out with a 320 by 320 pixel "square" format... does anyone know a lot about mobile phone images, formats... I'm kinda guessing everything

still for an old bloke I have manages to come a long way... technically speaking... over the past year... still blogging via mobile phone & publishing my "girls" on mobile phone screen does seem an honourable task for an old bloke

living in SIN

living in sin,
originally uploaded by sigh clone.

Life has been a bit full on... lots to do & no where to live...



actualy i just found at place to stay, close to work & with a decent view of the dawn ... by the way ladies... SIN is the code for changi airport !

more hassles

my blog is "off the air".... to the world... but the spam comments are still flooding in... it mustn't be the only one... blogger central is showing how to set up word verification... and i have sorry folks but it is to stop automatic software, bots & spiders posting comments



luckily i did back up my template stuff... and changed my password, just yesterday, so I still have access to the blog itself (and hopefully control)... the only bad bit is I will also have to change the public name I can not use cyclones_sketches... so now what to call it.... damn its the underscore that causing the grief.... ok what is something short & sweat and no spaces or underscores cyclonesart... better still cyart at last something that works


such is life

a strange visit

I guess if you are a regular... you'll have found out there has been a named change... WHY... good question... not really sure myself... the old site had a strange comment think is was in german... i got this much text out of a buffer

Verzicht: Das Thunderdome wird von Ihrem alten Mann des tediousness gebohrt. Lichter heraus.

there was also a symbol... like a copyright symbol with a diagonal line through it... thtas the last time I saw my blog working

So who is the Thunderdome and should I be scared... don't know.... all I know is my site name is now illegal and I can not recover it.

still talking

I'm trying out google talk... the beta version... its like Yahoo & MSN messanger but a lot simpler... plus its well integrated with gmail... which is the main email I use these days...the big advantage is it seems to work well at cyber cafes and remote places where i can only use dial up on gprs... you can use it from a variety of messangers including miranda & trillian.

I have plenty of free invite, just email me for one, if you'd like to try it out

2 moro

2 moro,
originally uploaded by sigh clone.

heading south over the equator we pass the islands around mindanao, the home of the moro separatist movement... and it relatives ji and dural islam... its one of those essentially lawless regions that are developing all around the world... one chain of islands stretch back towards borneo... and it seems it is becoming a convent highway for all sorts of activity... this fuel tanker was just floating, it seemed abandoned... carrying scares of a close encounter with some one else a mid-ships.. as we drew near to interstage we heard automatic weapons and three speed boats raced towards us... after 2 hours we had either out run them... they had run out of fuel... or given up... such is life... high petrol price one day...fuel piracy on the high seas the next!

working on a Mac Tan

working on a Mac Tan,
originally uploaded by sigh clone.

one advantage of travelling a lot and particularly the roads less trevelled... is I get to see some really cool places... Cebu in the southern phillipines is such a place... even better the little nearby island of mactan... a really idyllic spot.. here is phone photo of me having a 'sketching' break... life can be hard sometimes

another break

reflecting on the search for the goddess

My refelection cartoon has been blog in a really modern girls style blog... every women is a goddess... its a really well done and original place... worth a vist if you are a girl... and while you looking around why not check out other illustration friday submisssions.



Modern girls is becoming a bit of a sketching theme for me... perhaps there are true goddesses everywhere

in print

Created with the neat applet:: Magazine Cover



I kind of wish I had tried to publish this... nearly 200 views overnight... but would anyone really pay for it?

reflecting on originality

mirror,
originally uploaded by Mattijn.

As I travel around the net I'm starting to see that there are quiet a few original and creative people... like me... but uniquely different at the same time... but Marttijn is a bit scary he's much younger... much more accomplished... draws, paints & photographs... more colourful and all this will doing the standard thus a week for someone else

I'm only joking I'm not halos mate I love your art... I can see so many similarities in what you are doing to mine... and I didn't copy your ides for the reflection cartoon... I promise

ringrazia il mio amico

Gianita if a special friend from flickr.... she set up the Webcam selfportrait group... so its only fitting that I sketched her from her webcam... the sliht irony is this was sketched in Yahoo 260.... not from a flickr posting...

reflection

reflection
Originally uploaded by sigh clone.

I trust I won't get in hot water with the Politically Correct brigade... (but I might be with my spelling & typos)...

I originally wanted to draw a BBW type looking at a skinny reflection... but I like this way better

for friday illustration: reflection

WOW I only posted it yesterday & its had 129 views in about 18 hours... the firday illustration thing must have a good following... better improve the art work on my next entry.