Tell ALL Tuesdays:: Amy from PIKALAND

Good morning EVERYONE...and thanks for stopping by today!

This morning we're welcoming Amy from PIKALAND. She's a talented artist,illustrator and blog extraordinaire...and her blog is all about living the Illustrated Life.(how perfect is that!...can you tell I'm a fan?)

*Visiting Amy's Pikaland* is always on my list of to do's for the day...if you haven't been yet...YOU MUST! ...Careful...because you may get hooked.

So...here goes:

AMY from PIKALAND...
Tell us a little about the Town you live in... & have you always lived there?
I live in a small little town on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia. I prefer the suburbs as compared to the city – it’s a little too busy and I find the pace a little too frantic at times. I’ve lived here ever since I was 5 years old, although I did move house once (but we’re still in the same postcode, so it doesn’t really count!) We have a university here, so there are always lots of students around, and the people here are always so friendly because it’s such a small town that everyone knows almost everyone. I’ve schooled here and sometimes I bump into familiar faces just by walking the street!



If you could move anywhere tomorrow, where would it be?

Oh gosh, there are so many places I’d love to go visit. I’m not sure about uprooting myself permanently, but I would love to have a go at living in Finland or Spain!

How structured is your day usually?
Well, I try to structure it a little by spacing out pockets of work time. I start with having breakfast, and then it’s off to work until 1pm for lunch. I take two hours off for lunch, and I watch the TV shows that I’ve downloaded to wind myself down a little. I start up work again at 3pm and work until 7pm and then I go for a run or play with my dogs, and have dinner. I like to space out time for doing nothing at all so that I can think and process what happened throughout the day. After dinner I take a little time to socialize online via Twitter and make a list of things I need to do tomorrow. I find that I work in spurts and bursts, and I burn lots of brain matter when I do, so the long hours in between allow me to recuperate!

Are you a cat or dog person?
Dog, most definitely. But thanks to my husband, cats are growing on me too.

What did you do today?

Today I sent off my sister in law to the airport as she’s furthering her studies. My in-laws are here as well and we’re taking them out to lunch in awhile. My schedule today is a little tight, but that’s okay. I work whenever I can, and allow myself more time away from the computer as we have guests. I love the fact that I can organize my time and be more relaxed, even though I have tons of deadlines looming!

Are you a breakfast, lunch or dinner girl?

I’m a breakfast and dinner girl! I eat small portions and indulge in chocolates now and then. If I want to eat more, then I’ll exercise more for the week to balance it out. This way I won’t feel guilty at all!

If you had 6 friends over for Dinner what would you make for them?

Oooh. I love making pasta and spaghetti, so perhaps something along those lines would be lovely. Also, I’m a big fan of Jamie Oliver, so I’d probably look to him for inspiration. I love herbs. Also, that reminds me that I need to learn from my grandma on how to make great Indonesian fare – she is a fabulous cook!

How old were you when you knew you were on the right path in your Life?

I don’t think I would ever know the answer to that as I am still on that path myself. I love think that I’m on my way to something big, and I would like to be very much surprised at where life will take me. I do trust my gut instincts, which has lead me to where I am so far, so I’m excited to see where it will continue to bring me!

Who /what drove & inspired your love to create?

Hmm, that’s a tough one. I don’t remember exactly who or what drove me to create. I think I grew up in a family where we made do with what we had. My grandma sewed her own clothes, crocheted shawls, TV covers, and even the sofa cushion covers! My mom made her own maternity clothes, as it was too expensive to buy. She loved drawing, and I remembered that my parents would encourage me to pick up a crayon, pencil or pen and to just start drawing. I loved drawing dolls in fashionable dresses then! The next step was to learn how to make the dresses that I had drawn, and I failed terribly at that, so I stuck to drawing instead! I learned how to use a sewing machine much later on, which helped a bit, I think!

Tell us something not too many people know about you.

I believe that I’m an old soul! Others have called me an old lady for not liking to party, and generally not acting my young age (not being reckless, not drinking enough!) I just love reading and thinking a lot. I draw and write out plans and thoughts more than I draw illustrations at times!

Shoe choice::flats or heels?

FLATS! I’d love to wear more heels, but I’d be cursing throughout the day if I had to walk in them. The terrain here is not good at all for walking on heels!

What was the last book you read?

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It was mind-blowing.

What advice would you give others just starting out?

To trust your own instincts and don’t believe in the naysayers too much. Life is like one big recording and you can’t re-tape over it, so might as make it a good show!

Name 5 blogs you love visiting, and tell us why.

I love visiting PostSecret (because reading all those postcards make me feel alive and aware of others), Freshly Blended (I just love the picks on over at Nicole’s blog),
Oh Joy! (because Joy posts a lot of beautiful things that are wonderfully inspiring for my upcoming wedding party next year),
Grain Edit (I love, love retro art & illustration, and Dave has it all on his awesome bog),
and DRAWN! (one of the first art, illustration and comic blogs ever. ‘Nuff said!)

Thanks Amy for letting us have a lovely little peek at your Life...that was awesome!

If you came to say hello please leave a comment for Amy below...

AND you can visit Amy at her PIKALAND blog.

It's raining here today..so it's another...Laundry day...oh well...at least it'll get done this week...haha...you should see the piles...

Have a lovely day!

Char,On