THE DAREVIL INSIDE!

Merry X'mas & Happy New Year!

2009-12-29T13:46:00.004+08:00

On behalf of The Darevil Inside!, i would like to wish 'Merry X'mas!' and to thank each & everyone who has supported this project throughout 2009. It has indeed been a wonderful, hectic & crazy year. Here's wishing that your resolutions for the year has been achieved. If not, hopefully 2010 will be the year that brings the darevil out from within you; to make changes & to move forward from the comfort zone of status quo. Have an enlightening new year :)

Nicholas Quah
Project Creator

EMO/EGO: New Updates for November

2009-11-18T14:06:00.006+08:00

Info TBC

SHOWCASE3: Tan Jo kee/Coochicoo

2009-11-17T15:58:00.016+08:00

WHO's the Darevil?

Jo Kee and i used to go to the same college. A few years later i was surprised that she showed up at the agency i was working with. We were the only 2 visualisers back then. Scary, in tallying with the work that we had to do! Haha. That was like almost 8-9 years ago. Wow! How time flies!

She continued her career in another few agencies after that. I was delighted when she became a mum. And even more surprised when she set up her own online baby store called Coochicoo, how cute is that? ;)

WHAT is Coochicoo?
"It has always been my wish to have my own store in which I could sell things I loved a lot myself. At first I wanted to bring in overseas designer’s products, but one day while eating some roast chicken for someone’s baby full moon, I thought of selling unique baby full moon pack.

The traditional full moon pack is always focused on the food that is inside the pack and not much on the new born baby. I bet sometimes, when you are eating the food you don’t even recall the baby name or what the baby looks like! Plus I thought the packaging really needed some improvement. And so the idea was born to make a modern full moon pack which is more focused on the packaging and most important is personalized to your needs.

Recently I added another product line to Coochicoo. It's 100% organic cotton babywear, which is both chic and comfortable to wear. The babywear is from 2 designer brands from the USA: Kate Quinn Organics and Sckoon Organics. Coochicoo is proud to be the first partner in Malaysia to bring you these charming natural gifts from mother earth." :)

WHY did you do it?
"I was tired of making a lot of money for somebody else while working crazy hours. I rather work long hours and make money for myself even though I knew it wouldn’t be easy to get what I’m earning in advertising.

And another big reason was that I planned to have children at that time and wanted to stay with them. My baby boy is now 1 year old and so far my working from home online business can be combined easily with taking care of him."

WHAT's your advice to people who dare not?
"I guess you might have a good reason not to dare. One such reason would be loss of income. A bad reason would be that you are afraid you might fail.

I do agree that a major dare has to be thought through carefully. So after carefully thinking it over, and you think you won’t lose a lot, why not dare and gain a lot?"

WHERE to get more information?
Tel/Fax: +6012-301 5650
E-mail Enquiries: lilmama@coochicoo.com.my

Website:www.coochicoo.com.my

Under Construction!

2009-10-17T12:15:00.003+08:00

After 8 months online, The Darevil Inside! is being revamped to make future access much better & more friendlier. You can be sure there'll be new contents and new darevil uploads as well. Sorry for the inconvenience caused. We'll be up with the new template by end November.

Do visit our EMO/EGO brand at their own website: www.imjustemo.com. All previous EMO & EGO accessories posts have been moved to this new location. There's loads of new items as well. So, do check it out!

See yall again soon!

Nicholas Quah
Project Creator

PROJECT12: Kick 'S' T-Shirt & Buttons

2009-10-08T19:10:00.006+08:00

Info TBC

PROJECT11: Flower Bridge T-Shirt & Buttons

2009-10-08T19:07:00.007+08:00

Info TBC

PROJECT10: I'm Just Emo Website

2009-09-09T23:35:00.017+08:00

After almost 6 months since its birth, EMO finally sounds her siren with her very own website.

Do visit www.imjustemo.com.

To those who have supported EMO and her works from the beginning, we thank you! It's been a wonderful and weird journey. We hope to bring our emotic accessories and creations to the masses at more affordable prices. We also hope to extend our arsenal of items beyond just the accessories. EMO's here. She's coming through like it or not...so get out of her way!

EMO & EGO

(P/S: And if you guys feel left out - don't be. There are items that'll feed your EGO as well. Look out for them. Bookmark & check out this website from time to time. You can write to us at im.just.emo@hotmail.com.)

PROJECT9: Klang Creative Festival Event

2009-08-08T22:00:00.008+08:00

Info TBC

PROJECT8: FkFace Value

2009-05-22T19:40:00.012+08:00

The premier of 'FkFace Value' is finally up!!! :D

Yayyy...glad the gif-animation works! Had a bit of problem with the internet line earlier today so i had to delay this post. Hope this will be the first of many 'cartoon' instalments of the quirky character named FkFace.

To be on the friendlier side with minimum vulgarity, the front part of his name has been omitted to 'Fk' with the 'silent k' being formed by the arrow sign. Since i can't use the arrow key on this blog because of html technicalities, i will refer to the character as 'FkFace' ;)

I got the name from Annie, a friend of mine whose the first person i know to call 'certain' people by that name openly. Respect the woman ;) She could run you down with her words let alone beat you with her bear hands! Ahhh...so much love in the office :p But I think she meant it in the best possible way...hehe. It wasn't after 2 years+ that the inspiration came to mind. I thought, "Wouldn't it be weird & cool to have a character literally with a 'fk' face" and "WAH-LAH!"...the kamasutra-faced one was born :$

I hope you'll learn to like him and not judge him by his face value, cos i know he'll bring smiles to your face when you least expect it (mind the puns ;)

Enjoy!

Nicholas Quah
Project Creator

What The Fk?

2009-05-21T01:23:00.006+08:00

After nearly 11 months and a long delay, FkFace will finally make his appearance this friday! :D

Look out for the character and his first gif-animated cartoon strip. Hope you'll enjoy it! ;)

Nicholas Quah
Project Creator

PROJECT7: More Buttons

2009-05-15T22:00:00.007+08:00

These are some playful buttons which i created to add some silliness to life. Try saying 'Flower Bridge' in cantonese ;) Don't know how? Ask around and listen. The other 2 sets are a 'for him & for her' buttons. Don't get them wrong...'Nice S' is for the ladies ya! Hehe...

Like it? Hate it? Please vote. Tell me which one you'd like to see on a t-shirt. Hmmm...maybe i'd get it printed ;)

Thanx!

(P/S: These buttons are for sale too!)

PROJECT6: Buttons

2009-05-15T21:52:00.006+08:00

No project would be complete without doing some buttons, right? ;)

So, here are the first set of buttons from The Darevil Inside!

From the head-banging Skeletrock icon; to Alegna's darevilicious eyes; to the mischievous little pink Char Siew; to the playful Noty Little Darevil with his balloon head; these are just a few darevil characters i created which i hope can brighthen up your day :D

Tell me who is your favourite. Would love to know. Maybe you can create your own darevil...why not? ;)

EMO/EGO Accessories are Fully Handmade/Hand-Assembled

2009-05-05T11:08:00.006+08:00

A friend asked me recently whether the accessories on this site are ordered from elsewhere or hand-made. Well, to clarify this, we would like to say that all our EMO & EGO accessories are fully handmade and/or hand-assembled by our own personal touch. As such, they do cost a bit more. Nonetheless, the designs are unique and are not available elsewhere.

Furthermore, we do take made-to-order request to ensure even more exclus1vity. Just let us know the alterations that you require. If its possible and if it makes the piece more exciting, we'll be more than willing to make the adjustments.

EMO & EGO

New Website Address

2009-04-23T00:03:00.002+08:00

Hey there!

I know a lot of people have been finding it a bit tough to remember the long blogspot name. So as of today, you can get to this project site much easier by using the domain name itself.

Just type: www.thedarevilinside.com

Don't worry if you've bookmarked the blogspot address already as it is still valid. It will automatically redirect you to the website above.

Hope this will ease your access to The Darevil Inside! and make the experience more enjoyable ;)

Nicholas Quah
Project Creator

PROJECT5: Shi's Baby Bloo Angel & Foh Chai Toys

2009-04-19T17:33:00.006+08:00

The above toys were created based on the drawings made by Lee Chyng Shi (See previous post entitled Spot2). I like these two characters of hers that i thought, "Hey, i bet they would look awesome in actual 3D real life!" and proceeded to sculpting them :)

Baby Bloo Angel is an adorable blue coloured baby with an attitude (notice the metal earring!). With swift white wings to keep her afloat and armed with killer milk bottles as ammunition, she is ever vigilant in keeping enemies at bay!

Foh Chai on the other hand is a suicidal match stick. Always finding ways to kill himself! Fiery hot idea!...haha. The match head is interchangeable to show Foh Chai's different facial expressions. And the flame incidentally is made of glow in the dark material for amazing night effect ;) Kewl!

These toys are not for sale...yet! Maybe in the near future ;) So look out for them ya!

SPOT3: Ng Choo Seong's Corner

2009-04-18T17:04:00.006+08:00

Tucked away in a corner of an ad agency in 2005 was a room with an employee named Ng Choo Seong in it. He was a rather quiet & low profiled person on the outside (the boss sat next door :) but inside, he was a charming, humble & very creative person.

One of the first 'creative' things i saw was the scribbles & doodlings on his wall. It was like 'Whoa! Hor hor! Someone's gonna get into trouble for this!' :) haha. The last time i saw 'graffiti' like that was back in school. It was like a trip back in time :D Refreshing! I guess when we grow up, we tend to leave the child behind us. Bad idea.

The illustrations were simple, honest but very insightful. Some based on life; some stories on fellow employees; and some were just plain weird! I particularly like the sketch with the D&AD pencil...brilliant! (not shown above but i hope to find it).

Till today i still havn't found out what went thru his mind when he started penciling the wall. Maybe he got a little lonely in the room...hmmm...hehe :)

WHY did you do it?

"Firstly, for fun! And secondly, to express my (& friends') feelings cos there were a lot of pent up frustrations in the office but no one says it out. So hopefully the wall will encourage people to say what they feel. But still nobody did...until it was painted over." :S

The above photos were taken when the wall was still 'incomplete' and the only ones i could gather. I think no one managed to archive the full wall before it was torn down :'( I hope he will do new ones and publish a book one day ;)

SPOT2: Lee Chyng Shi's Characters & Illustrations

2009-04-18T15:38:00.003+08:00

I used to work with Shi about 3-4 years back. Besides doing daily jobs, she had a flair & talent for caricatures and fantasy character creations. She would draw fellow colleagues when she was free. Sadly, i only got to see her personal works after i had left that job :(

Nonetheless, i want to share her cute creations and illustrations on this blog. Not just mere drawings, i personally think her works have a lot of potential for growth because they have stories & ideas behind them. The above are just a few of the many pieces she has done. Not enough space on this blog :S hehe.

WHY did you do it?
Comment

Do lookout for future post when i help Shi realize her characters into actual toys!

FOR SALE: Michael Jordan Collection Series VCDs

2009-04-16T19:58:00.001+08:00

I went to the court the other day. It was a long time since i had a few shots at the hoop :S Met two kids on the court and before i left, i met someone who used to play there like 15 years ago! Wow, what a coincidence! I don't think the kids knew, but he used to be a 'local star' at that court. He was still wearing his old Lakers shoes. We had a few games though i was out of breathe :S

While we were playing, he asked the kids, "You know Magic, Jordan, Larry Bird?" One of the kids didn't even know about the Bulls. Whoa! That's like a no-no if you're playing basketball. Haha...old skool talking :p

Then it occured to me that i still have my vcds of Michael Jordan. Hmmm...think it's time to let go of this collection. I've learnt a lot from it. It'll be more useful in someone else's hands then to have it lying around in the cupboard :)

The collection comprises of 'Come Fly With Me', 'MJ's Playground', 'Air Time' & 'His Airness'. They're still in good condition with the original authenticity sticker and price tag. Im willling to depart from it for RM50 (full set of 4 only). You won't find these classic titles anymore in any video shops in Malaysia. Any takers? Do drop me an e-mail ya.

PROJECT4: The Darevil Inside! T-Shirts

2009-04-08T12:50:00.012+08:00

The Darevil's T-Shirts are out!
There are 2 designs to choose from:

Speak of the Darevil1.0
Available in black. Men's sizes: L, XL & XXXL.
Price: RM30.

I, of the Darevil1.0
Available in white. Ladies' sizes: 34(S), 36(M), 38(L) & 40(XL).
Price: RM25

These T's come packaged in simple re-usable zip-lock bags for environmental purpose. No tags; no wastage; no frills please.

Both T's are made of hi-quality enzyme-washed material and are available in very limited quantities only. So hurry! Get yours now! :)

SPOT1: Jennifer Wee's Wall of Flame

2009-04-08T12:39:00.004+08:00

Mum would've had my behind if she saw me doing this to her wall :S hahaha.

What started as a white wall next to her work station was later transformed into a great piece of art. A wallpaper from afar. But upon closer inspection, a visual diary and a collection of fiery angst & fond memories. I was quite skeptical at first. But when i saw it grew from day to day, i knew then that it had become a functional community wall for the whole agency. I think almost everyone had had their thoughts penned on it. And it was filled up within a short period of time. Who would've thought a white wall would serve a much better purpose ;) ...clever.

And to make it more flexible, the doodles are actually made on huge format white papers. Quite deceiving to the eye. Hence, they could be removed, archived and refreshed when all space has been taken up. So no one could accuse her of 'destroying' company property! Smart!

I hope this wall will continue to exist after the move ;)

WHY did you do it?

"For fun! Initially i wanted to do a structured wallpaper made of little drawings. But as the days went by, the drawings made became bigger and of unusual proportions >:( So it became what it is today :)"

The wall reminded me a lot of Choo Seong's wall in another agency which was covered with his doodles on life & advertising. I hope to do a spot on that if i can get hold of some photos! (Ex-colleagues, do email me if you have any immortalised archive of it :) That wall has since been torn down by people who didn't like such art...sigh...sad people. There's also a wall idea in a famous agency in London if i'm not mistaken.

So the next time you start staring into a blank wall...think. Sometimes being clean is just plain boring.

SHOWCASE2: Liz, Orchid & Rooster/The K-popped! Trio

2009-04-02T17:05:00.006+08:00

WHO are the Darevils?
They are Liz, Orchid and Rooster and they make the K-popped! Trio.

I only know Rooster personally. Maybe I've met Liz & Orchid as well but I'm not sure...hmmm. After returning from US, Rooster got herself into an ad agency. After 2 years working with her, she decided to fly away, literally, in 2007. I haven't seen her since...sob :’(

WHAT is K-popped!?
“K-popped! is a blog dedicated to all things Korean. And when we say ‘all things Korean’ we mean everything – from movies to music, cuisine to fashion and even language and culture.

Above all, we do our best to monitor the rise of the Hallyu (Korean wave) in Malaysia. Did you know that every other local channel airs a Korean drama? Check out our K-popped! tee vee thread if you don’t believe us.

We also realise that in Malaysia, Korean entertainment news is basically catered for the Chinese-literate crowd. Since we are illiterate that way, K-popped! is a sensible way to bring Korean showbiz news to the English-literate masses, not only in Malaysia, but in the Cyberworld as well.”

WHY did you all do it?
“Liz and Orchid started blogging about Korean stars at their respective personal blogs after being K-popped! at a Rain concert, which Liz had won front-row tickets to.

Eventually, we decided to dedicate a blog to our rapidly-growing new-found passion. And so, K-popped! (k-popped.com) was born in June 2007.

Shortly after, Rooster was roped in to give K-popped! its ‘look’ and to share her passion for all things edible.

The blog serves as a gateway for us to break away from the monotony of our day jobs. It has also allowed us to dream and try for something bigger. But that’s one more darevil story we’ll leave for another day." ;)

WHAT's K-popped!'s advice to people who dare not?
Rooster: “You’ve only got one lifetime. Get to it!”
Liz: “Keep dreaming big because one day, something will come true ;-)”
Orchid: “Just like going on the flying fox, launching off is always the most difficult part. The first step is always the toughest. Just take the plunge and enjoy the ride.”

WHERE to get more information?
E-mail enquiries: 2kpopped@gmail.com

Website: k-popped.com

Happy 1 Month!

2009-04-02T16:38:00.003+08:00

It's 02.03.09!

The Darevil Inside! is 1-month young today.
It's been a fruitful, busy & crazy month! ;)

WHAT has happened over the last 31 days?
i) 2 admirable showcases published
ii) 2 t-shirt designs went on sale
iii) Project Dare1.0 was launched
(P/S: Deadline has been extended to 30.04.09, so keep them submissions coming!)
iv) Project EMO: Lovevolve series with 8 collection and 12 accessories for order to date
v) Project EMO Green and support for the Earth hour, and
vi) 7 inspirational wallpapers for your your desktop

A lot? Too little? Or not much? ...It doesn't really matter, does it? :)
What matters most is that making things happen is indeed POSSIBLE. Its whether you want to or not. The Darevil Inside! is moving and it has moved people to think, re-think and to do things hopefully.

To those who can relate to the concept & insight - thanx for your feedback. May you have the courage to take that first step.
To those who've given your support - thank you, thank you & thank you! I really appreciate it! :D
To those who do not fully understand - may be one day you will.
To those who took and are taking the stand to move forward - i salute you! Kudos. Keep inspiring people to live their dreams and thank you for all the support.

Life is short. No regrets. Remember that.

Here's looking ahead to the next month. What's in store you might ask? Hmmm...April will be a month focused on toys, characters, illustrations and 'weird' stuff. There will be a new segment entitled 'Spots' as well which i will share little creative projects done by friends and fellow creatives. This mini version of a showcase will prove that you shouldn't underestimate the small little things. They do make a huge difference in life. So, keep on blogging in to see what other new things are coming ya ;)

Stay happy, stay healthy, take care & smile always,
Nicholas Quah
Project Creator

SHOWCASE1: Adelina Lee/Craft Haven

2009-03-18T18:59:00.004+08:00

WHO's the Darevil?
Adelina was my Art History lecturer back in college. She taught for 6 years before venturing into advertising. She gave up agency life in 2001 and decided to do her own business. What started as a small business on novelty candles grew into a 2-lot shop called Craft Haven.

WHAT is Craft Haven?
"Craft Haven is a one-stop craft shop that meets your creative needs. Be it products, materials, services or even classes. It's a hobbyist paradise where anyone and everyone can find something to do, create, and play with. You can get almost anything to start your own creative handi-work. A must-go place for the inner artist! "

WHY did you do it?
“All of a sudden, all I wanted to do was to play with wax,” she revealed. And that spun off the need for beautiful painted candle containers, which led to acquiring paints and voila! - The birth of Craft Haven.

I loved what i did in advertising but i believe that life is short and there's so many things that one can do. I love challenges, to try my hand at new things. Some ventures have failed, quite miserably. ;) But it has only taught and given me priceless experiences that i wouldn't have learnt otherwise...University of Hard Knocks!

I'm fortunate that i'm able to do what i love as a business. To be able to share my passion for the arts & crafts and have others see the beauty of what they themselves are capable of doing is extremely satisfying. Especially challenging myths and fears that most people have that they are not artistic or talented. When my customers find that in themselves, i feel that my work is done. And there's more to convert!" :)

WHAT's your advice to people who dare not?
"Frankly, life's a journey, not a destination. So, why not go through it with passion, fortitude and with a bang! Take risks as you'll never know what treasures one will find. Carpe Diem!"

WHERE to get more information?
Address:
Craft Haven,
Lot S211 (2nd Floor), 1 Utama Shopping Centre,
1 Lebuh Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
Tel/Fax: +603–7727 3541
E-mail enquiries: getcrafty@craft-haven.com
Website: www.craft-haven.com

Thank You!

2009-03-16T18:03:00.003+08:00

Hi friends, family and everyone who's visiting this site :)

It's been 2 weeks since i re-launch this blog and i want to say 'THANK YOU!' for all the positive words and support so far. It's been a really crazy 2 weeks for me.

'THANK YOU!' also to those who have ordered and received your EMO accessories. I hope you'll enjoy wearing them as much as i enjoyed making them. I really didn't expect the response for the EMO experiment. I hope to design more items when i have the time.

Besides EMO and the on-going 'Project:Dare' (do remember to submit your designs by 4.4.2009!), there'll also be new things coming out at the end of the month. And tomorrow i will post my first showcase on this blog. So remember to blog in.

I hope you'll continue to visit this site from time to time to see what's new. Bookmark it and add it to your favourites ya! Drop me an e-mail if you have any questions or things to share, i would love to hear from you too.

Lastly, thanx again for all the support! :)

Stay happy, stay healthy, take care & smile always,
Nicholas Quah
Project Creator

PROJECT3: EMO Lovevolve Accessories

2009-03-09T17:35:00.007+08:00

When Babyface sang the song 'Love Makes Things Happen', he said "Love will take over your mind and your heart. There's no way of controlling love - it controls your life." Whether its love for someone or some 'thing' like your job, it'll always keep you going and growing regardless of anything. And that's what 'Lovevolve' is all about.

I created this series of accessories using only the love shape, jump rings, beads and the Byzantine chain technique. I want to see how far i can evolve it using only these items. The bear metal in this range has an industrial yet stylish feel to it.

The pendant/necklace is priced at RM70.

Look out for future evolution of this series.

Go to www.imjustemo.com for more items.