Psst. Want to go on vacation, but money is tight? What if I told you that you can win a free vacation? The only thing you need? A phone camera and social media accounts. Sounds crazy? It’s totally true, I promise you!
Wait? What?! Free vacay?
Image Credit: WOW Taiwan
From now until 19 Nov, just keep your eyes open for colourful buses and cars in the Klang Valley and Kota Kinabalu. These vehicles are painted with local artist Jayee Lim’s doodles of Taiwanese landmarks and culture. Snap a photo and you’re well on your way to win flights, sightseeing passes and LEGO sets.
But who’s Jayee?
Image Credit: Jayee Lim
But how did a Malaysian artist end up working with Taiwan Tourism? It’s no small achievement, so she must have done something impressive to get the gig. Thus, I decided to ask her myself by visiting the Monkiddo office in GMBB KL.
“Monkiddo is the short form for Monster Kiddo, where we talk about stories about adult struggles,” she told me. Jayee then pointed out a pink bean-shaped character who appears in most of her artworks, including those on the vehicles. Its name is So-So, apparently.
From hobby to project
Image Credit: WOW Taiwan
In school, she doodled a lot. In fact, she doodled so much that she had an exercise book reserved exclusively for her sketches. “There was a prefect who’d tell me, ‘You can’t do this!’ But I still did it anyway, for fun.” This hobby would eventually lead her to decide to study art formally.
So, how did Jayee end up collaborating with Taiwan Tourism? It so happened that she was participating in an art show hosted in Taiwan. Her colourful, creative doodles must have drawn eyes there, for soon, she was receiving an invitation to work with Taiwan Tourism.
Jayee was very proud to represent Malaysia before the tourism board. Given that there were hundreds of international artists at the art show, it was flattering that she and her team had been selected. “I was excited about it, but also worried about how I could deliver,” she admitted.
Capturing Taiwan’s beauty
Image Credit: Canva
That said, the task was made easier by Jayee’s familiarity with Taiwan. She grew up on Taiwanese music and TV shows and has been to Taiwan multiple times. For her, the people and the food are amazing, but it is the “blooming” art scene there that captures her imagination. “From kindergarten kids to the elderly, they are very involved in art,” she said.
Tasked with capturing the beauty of Taiwan via her doodles, Jayee and her team set to work, conjuring ideas left and right. In the end, the finalised artworks consisted largely of cartoon monsters going on parade whilst visiting Taiwan’s famous landmarks.
She was also deliberate with the choice of colours. Pink, yellow and orange are most dominant and for good reason. So-So is pink with yellow stripes, whereas orange is the official colour of Taiwan Tourism. “Orange makes everything warmer and more welcoming,” she added.
Speaking of So-So, you can see him exploring Taiwan with OhBear, Tourism Taiwan’s ursine mascot. So-So can be seen in a songkok, which is a nice Malaysian touch. There are also other Malaysia-themed easter eggs in her art, so keep an eye out for any of the 12 buses or 200 cars!
How can you win that vacay?
Image Credit: WOW Taiwan (Left), Canva (Right)
Needless to say, Taiwan is a beautiful country with lots to see and do. Additionally, it is a Muslim-friendly destination with halal food options aplenty. If you need to make a getaway, Taiwan is just a few hours away.
So, for a quick recap, this is what you need to do to stand a chance to win a free trip to Taiwan:
- Snap a photo of a WOW Taiwan bus or car.
- Post it on IG or FB, tag @taiwantourismmy and include the hashtags #WowTaiwan #SalamTaiwan #WavesOfWonder.
- Follow Taiwan Tourism MY on FB & IG.
- Fill in your details here!
- Winners of the ongoing Phase 2 will be announced on 30 Sept, with Phase 3 winners announced on 20 November.
Prizes include:
- Flight tickets x3
- Hai Feng Hao Sightseeing Train Package x3
- Taiwan PASS x5
- LEGO sets x40
Just remember that every participant can only send in one entry. Your entry must also be original and clearly show the WOW Taiwan Car or Double Decker Bus! Ignore these and you might end up being disqualified!
So, be sure to be on the alert the next time you’re on the road. Get that camera ready and who knows, you might be snapping photos of Taipei 101 by next year!
You should also check out: PJ folks can now get their “lu rou fan” fix at this new Taiwanese restaurant in Taman Paramount
Feature Image Credit: WOW Taiwan
The post This artist’s from a small Negeri Sembilan town but Taiwan asked her to put art on cars & buses appeared first on Malaysia Food and Travel.
