Khaled Abou Alfa

Procreate Dreams 2 looks like a pretty massive update. I never got the first version (an oversight more than anything else), but this just shows how the team at Savage Interactive shipped something, listened and updated it to make it better.

I don’t tend to take care of my shoes very often. The whole process takes me back when I was a kid and my dad would clean all his shoes on a Sunday. I loved the buffing process. Still do. The transformation is always like a magic trick.

My favourite song at the moment, …Baby one more time by Tenacious D - wait what?! Even the little addition ‘hit me baby but not so hard)’ is excellent.

First time I see the two new lines on the subway map. Of course, I spent a decent amount of my life working on line 6 these last few years.

For the children, there is only one rule to the game, throw Onyx off the tree. For Onyx, the rule is also simple to understand but more difficult to execute, throw everyone else before they get to him first. The sheer size of the tree is accentuated during this game as the children run along the branches, they are suddenly more aware of their own size, it distracts some, who loose their footing and fall to the ground, playing themselves out of the game.

Came downstairs and Ryan is nattering away on his keyboards…but that sound was familiar. Of course, leave it to Ryan to hunt for the TTC theme song (the chime when a train arrives into a station) and learn it.

The wind is howling violently out there tonight. The weather is definitely locking at the moment. We had a good run this fall which lasted a little longer than expected.

While it feels like a high stakes game, it’s more about dominance against defiance. Onyx tends to keep to himself, however when confronted he refuses to cower away, even to his own detriment. The rest of the children swarm around him, but he’s wise to their advances. As quick as thought, Onyx leaps onto the tree and quickly scampers up. He allows himself a smile. The chase is on.

Time stretches further.
The colour of the leaves on the trees has almost completely drained away. The children are not quite adults, though their bodies have filled out and certainly look the part, their minds have still not developed to the same level. The games have become more elaborate and seemingly a little more cruel. They are chasing Onyx, who has found some success when the hunt is in the tree itself.

Shocked, Onyx can only utter one word, ‘Why?’. The other children cannot hear him, nor do not want to. They are seeing red in a way that children can, devoid of any self control. The shove takes Onyx by surprise; he looses his balance and falls to the ground. The angry children around him begin kicking the ground at him, sand starts flying everywhere and gets into his eyes. While the pain in his eyes stings, the feeling of isolation hurts a lot more.

🍸 Last year I went with a Black Russian as my holiday build up drink of choice. I’m back to the classic White Russian but made from Ontario ingredients this time.

🛞❄️ Winter tires went on today. Ready for the brutality that will be heading our way. So far into November it has been fine, nothing to complain about really.

13 days. That’s how long it took me to find my missing glove. I’m not going to lie there were several times in these last few days that I’ve come this close to throwing that lone glove as it stared at it me every time I entered the house. Thanks to Yasmine it actually survived.

I’ve not been able to write as much on account of the fact that I have yet another exam. This time it’s for my engineering license here in Canada, Law and Ethics. Everyone, regardless of education or experience needs to take this exam, which I can get behind. Very colloquial, very country specific. Once it’s done I can get back to something a little bit more creative.

His happiness, as small and simple as it is, was short lived. Another group of kids arrives shortly after the first group. This group is not here to admire. This group is here to control. With a single glance at Onyx’s creation they have a primal and visceral reaction. It begins with Onyx being pushed out of the way, before they proceede to collectively trampling his sand structure. Only once they are all satisfied that no element of it remained do they turn their attention to its creator.

Today is one of those mega windy days. Totally takes me back to our time in Denmark when it was windy, rainy and grey. Ryan decided he really wanted to ride his bike. After maybe 2 minutes and a big gust of wind, he made an about turn and headed straight back home 🤣.

A small gaggle of curious kids approaches him to see what he’s built. The keep their distance but you can see a few fascinated by the way Onyx is manipulating and working with the sand and water in front of him. There is audible delight as he gently blows life into his creation, giving it a shimmering black gloss. Onyx is not used to an audience but this one time he allows himself to smile.

🎄 It happened, the very first, ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year…’ was heard in a store today. The hotel I was at for the Healthcare Infrastructure conference put up their Christmas decorations yesterday. Feels a little early for me, but what do I know.

As he has become accustomed to this Onyx has chosen a spot further away from the rest of the children. He maintains some proximity to see what the other children are doing. It’s a mistake he will learn from. For the moment, Onyx focuses on the build in front of him. From the sand he is creating an intricate tower with sweeping curves and interconnected bridges.

The children are older now.

Their games have become a little bit more sophisticated. They are playing in the sandbox at the foot of the tree. Some kids and grabbing the sand, giving it their colour and releasing it in the air, forming a colourful cloud of sand for an instance before falling lifelessly back on the ground. Others are building intricate structures and giving them life through colour.

The colours manifested in different ways, some visible, some hidden. The most striking way was in the children’s eyes. For most of their infant lives, the children had smokey grey eyes. It was only when the children finally came of age and the colour of their eyes shone through. This also handily solved the question of their name.

As time stretches forward, the colour of leaves on the tree begin to fade. The leaves never fall off but they turn a brilliant white. It’s a subtle transition that mutes the vibrancy of the remaining leaves. Like energy, the colour cannot be destroyed or lost, it simply finds a new home. The children have become the new colour bearers.

Onyx’s experience of the game was not one of delight, it was one of exclusion and isolation. He quickly realised that the other children worked with each other to engineer him out of the way. Onyx couldn’t contain his frustrations and always found himself crying and alone, with nobody around to comforted him. It happened so often this would become his very first memory.

So annoyed. Left my brand new gloves in the back seat with the kids yesterday…now one pair is missing. Should know better. The back seat is the black hole of stuff. Things go there, but they may never return.

I always enjoy November, partly because I am usually writing some fiction. Writing 50-60 word chunks seems easy for me and there is momentum. Sure the final product might not be exceptionally polished but having written anything is better than not writing at all.

Maybe I get to keep things moving at the same pace once this chapter of Colours is finished. I have so many other things that I am waiting on writing.

First snowfall of the season. It’s a warning sign to get those snow tires installed.

Curiously, Onyx noticed that try as he might, the orbs did not react to him the same way they reacted to the other children. When he held an orb it didn’t change colour; rather it sat there lifelessly staring back at him. Clearly the orbs are broken, he thought to himself. That is the only possible explanation.

One of the challenges with having an awesome library system (world class in fact) is the fact that sometimes I can borrow a mountain of books and never get through most of them. I go through different flows at the moment but I want to get one book and really get into that book, then the next.

Tickets booked to Lebanon. This is the second attempt this year. I have no idea what the criminals south of the border are up - but the vile stench from Tel Aviv wafts everywhere in the Middle East. Nowhere is safe. I just want to see my parents and family.

As with most simple games, children tend to get better at the game the more they play. First they learnt how to make the orbs glow their colour for longer. Eventually they learned how to keep the colour in the orb after they had passed it onto the next child. Seeing their colour in the orb started off as a feeling of delight, this soon turned into something more primal, existential.

As the orbs were passed around Onyx found himself being excluded from the game. At first it was subtle, the other children would pass the orb to Onyx and then quickly take it away. This quickly shifted to more direct actions, as they would skip his turn entirely. This eventually turned to pushing and shoving Onyx out of the way.

Even at this early age, the rest of the children observed Onyx differently. The difference wasn’t in the colour of his skin, as no child was alike in that regard. The common trait between the children was the colour of their eyes. At this age, they were all as white as snow. By contrast, Onyx had eyes as black as night.

The orbs offered the children an object of pure wonder. The game they played simply involved passing the orbs to each other. Every time one of the children held the orb it would change colour, unique to every child. The colour would shine for a few seconds before gradually fading away, returning to its empty vessel form, ready to be awakened again by another child.

Obama won the US presidential election 17 years ago. Let that sink in for bit.

The golden era of Vertigo Comics ended around a decade ago. DC have decided to bring it back this year. The thing is there is an absolute treasure trove of incredible books that were created that I know I have not engaged with by some excellent writers.

The only thing that you could count on with Vertigo, like HBO is the new voices and artists you had not heard of that were about to produce magic. For this alone, I hope that the new venture is successful for the. If it’s not, the back catalogue has enough to engage me for at least another decade.

As babies, the stream of milk which flowed from the tree itself and was all the nourishment they needed. As they grew, they needed more than sustenance. They needed an environment that encouraged experimentation, that allowed ideas and skills to be tested. The Garden provided tools of engagement. As infants the first of these were the orbs. Small lifeless bulbs that turn to life as soon as a child held one.

The Garden’s sole purpose was to provide the children with an environment to play and grow. The Garden provided the children with everything they needed to take care of themselves. The Garden provided the children with the best environment for them to grow with complete autonomy as there were no adults.

So pretty.

Part 1 of my new series of articles have been written - at least as a first draft. That’s twelve concise articles on how to enter the construction industry in a position and role that you will thrive in. It’s been great getting back into writing on a regular basis - roughly 20-30minutes a day. Sunday mornings is when I like to polish my 500 words. I’m not holding myself to any schedule (so sometimes I do it and sometimes I don’t).

My genuine hope is that I will be useful to those just leaving University and trying to enter the job market.

As much as I hate daylight savings in the spring, I love it in the winter. This is the good one where we are given for the only time ever, the literal gift of time.

The tree was at the centre of a rich and elaborate garden that had formed around it. The garden was overflowing with a seemingly infinite selection of fruits, nuts and vegetables. Milk and honey flowed from the tree into separate ponds. And within all of this colourful beauty, children roamed freely.

The tree stood tall and proud against everything around it. The base of the tree was so thick it would take a full day to walk all the way around it. The trunk, which snaked upwards twisting and branching out in every direction. The foliage that covered the tree was thick, exploding with colour.

Every November I try and get some fiction written. It’s a small win for me as it flexes very different kind of muscles for me. This year I am going to be publishing the third chapter of my Colours series that has been sloshing in my head for over two decades. Eventually I want to add spot illustrations for this thing.

Happy Halloween everyone!

⚾ Go Blue Jays!

Affinity (by Canva) is a reimagining of the old Serif Affinity suite of apps in one single place. Really not sure what to make of it all. I loved it previously that I paid for a kick ass product and knew where I stood. You make good stuff. I give you money and the cycle continues. This feels weird. Software this polished and this good should not be free. Right?

⚾️ Yesavage is our favourite player. Mainly because of the awesome name, but turns out he’s and awesome pitcher as well. Bonus.

⚾️ After a crazy ridiculously long ass game yesterday, we’re back even on this one and playing back home. Bring it home Blue Jays.

By tomorrow these colours are gone.

The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.
— David Viscott ✱

✱ Although regularly misattributed to Pablo Picasso.

First properly cold day of the year…and I’m kinda here for it all. Think I’m going to make a butternut squash chilli.

⚾️ Fakking hell do these baseball people love to chew and spit. Legit disgusting.

Sorted a Contact form that hopefully won’t get relentlessly spammed.

Toronto pride is in full swing. Everyone in the city is wearing some Blue Jays merch of some description. I’m not there yet, considering I love baseball movies, but really feel underwhelmed by baseball games, but I love the city wide sentiment — something extremely North American about this.

I get it now. Creamy keyboards. It’s not something you can express in words. You have to experience it to understand. Having weighted keys that offer a tiny soft clack is next level typing. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get into this world.

I feel a fool for not just getting Keyboard Maestro earlier in my Mac life. I’m still kicking the tires, but can’t wait to really do some cool things with this app.

At the LAO, on an amazingly crisp autumn day.

Goodnight Toronto!

Oh no. A couple of the guys got some mechanical keyboards at work and now I’ve found myself hunting on Amazon for different kinds. The Nuphy Air 75 (with Cowberry switches) looks like the one for me…for this evening. Tomorrow might be a different story.

Inktober 2025/19.

Of course Brian Wood would have a newsletter. What’s more interesting however is that he’s publishing stories in a serialised format right there. Fire hose, but I’m here for it.

Inktober 2025/18. I am seriously enjoying the absolute freedom of drawing Corgan from any angle.

Wonderful autumn day. Filled with so much colour.

🚗 Can’t believe it’s been an entire year since we bought the car. We went for nearly 5 years without one - several of which were covid years. 6000km driven this year….not a whole lot really.

Inktober 2025/17.

Inktober 2025/16.

Inktober 2025/15.
Be still my beating heart, I get to draw my characters from below or above without breaking into sweats!

Inktober 2025/14. My characters in actual perspective - where I kinda know what I’m trying to do. Long way to go, but first steps and all that.

It’s not every morning your meeting gets cancelled. It’s a great day for a short walk and you stumble upon something relatively serene in the city of Toronto.

Perspective drawing has eluded me for the entire time I have been drawing. I have spent plenty on books and tried watching videos but never invested in an actual course that looks to teach me these fundamentals in a manner that I can use again and again. I’m actually really excited to be able to take my art to the next level, because I feel this is one of those skills that unlocks whole new worlds for me and finally what’s in my brain can be translated onto paper.

Definitely going to be posting things as I go along so that I can track progress.

Never heard of Proko before. Now I’m looking into the Perspective Fundamentals course to get my artwork to the next level.

Inktober 2025/13.

New brewer, ready for action. Sir!

I recently visited Jason Santa Maria’s website. Couple of important points of note. You can download his book On Web Typography directly from the home page. It’s a timeless piece of writing if you’re interested making better websites. The other thing I wasn’t aware of was the fact that he is now creating his own typefaces. Citywide looks great.

Inktober 2025/12.
Not every day I create a new character but there is momentum with sketching something (anything!) every day.

400th post this year.

When I think back across the years where there was friction to posting to my site it makes me sad because there are so many wonderful moments that I didn’t record.

Your site is such a wonderful gift to your future self fill it with fun stuff recording your moments to relive and remember later on.

Inktober 2025/11. Creating a new character is only fun after progress has been made.

Inktober 2025/11.

Like with my beer, I have started recording my coffee adventures. For the newcomer to anything really, finding a simple resource of recommendations is actually pretty important. Hopefully this will help others find things to their tastes.

Listening to Kings of Leon. It’s been too long. Love Kings of Leon.

It’s Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian edition). I do love this time of the year and this holiday does generally come at a good time for a little reflection and a little resetting just before the brutality of winter kicks in. Going to try and get some reading, writing and drawing done.

Inktober 2025/09.