three weeks

Photography | yexi  Crew | wex & ben 

Just some #throwback session to when Yexi and I decided to mess around with his new photography equipment he just acquired. It will be a great souvenir to remind me of my Shanghai adventures. I really love this shot. You know how every big city has its own way of making you fall in love with it? I think the Bund at night is it for me. It's a strange sort of feeling when you're surrounded by neoclassical and renaissance architecture looking towards the towering skyscrapers on the other side of the Bund. Nostalgia, perhaps. Regardless, I'll miss my casual strolls near the Bund during chilly nights.  

I've only 3 weeks left before I'm duty-bound to return back to Singapore and start yet another semester in NUS. Unfortunately, I've been sick for about a week now. I've had a really bad cold which somehow progressed into a bout of stomach flu. So I've just parked my sick ass in bed to catch up on my movies. In the past few days I have watched an eclectic mix of movies including Maps To the Stars, The Princess Bride, Star Wars 1, 2, 3, and Breaking Dawn. I love being lost in another realm, a world where it has been carefully constructed for an alternate reality where truth is no longer stranger than fiction but that of the imagination.  (also, Robert Pattinson never fails to make me feel better)

I also am very much in love being in the process of creating movie magic on screen. The camera is a voyeur that captures even the slightest nuances and subtleties.  Even though I have more experience as a stage actress, acting on film thrills me in a completely different sort of way.

Here are some stills of the short film I did before I came to Shanghai:

Yeah, my character is completely thrashed so she looks like crap. I think I tend to get a lot of strange roles but you know a job's a job.

Back to my movie watching, Star Wars 4,5,6 is waiting for me! x

花樣年华

Finally reunited with the Vainpots bunch from Nepal!
Okay technically I've been around Novell and Kim because of MSI but this was our first day out together in Singapore that wasn't pageant-related! The last time we hung out like this was back in Nepal, trying to take #SGxNepal photoshoots. 

The three of us headed to Chye Seng Huat Hardware - \presumable one of the first few cafes involved in the cafe-hopping scene. Ordered us a Huat! Breakfast, an Italian breakfast and truffle popcorn to share. The truffle popcorn is a cute eat; it's a pretty novel idea, and a fun snack that I can't stop stuffing into my mouth. I tried out their Cold Brew which had a strong acidic bite to it. It tasted better once it was diluted but it made me miss the cold brew at Brew & Bake. It was flavourful and gave me this quick buzz. The best part? It was located right behind Eusoff! Yes, I'm an addict needing a quick fix. 

Headed to Kam Leng Hotel to model for Novell's fashion photography assignment! The hotel management really were kind to let us shoot at this 87-year old building!  I love watching Kim (kiminpei.blogspot.sg) at work because she's just in her natural habitat and it's so comfortable posing in front of Novell. I was trying to channel my inner Maggie Cheung from In The Mood for Love with her focused intensity but I may have came across as a constipated hamster instead. Still awaiting for Novell's edits because I am definitely not a techie. 

A sneaky behind-the-scenes shot by Kim:

The next day I had yet another full-day assignment with Laselle. This time round I would be acting for the Puttnam School of Film. Seriously, at this rate, Laselle should just rope me in as part of their student body.

The first half of the day was outdoor shooting, which was pretty alright, considering I've done this before. But the second half of the day was spent in the studio which was just mind-blowing. The set is completely built from the ground up. I never knew how much innovation went into sets. For example, the bed is actually a mattress on a table covered in sheets. The head board was some random crap they found but painted it brown to make it look like wood. When they were busy adjusting the lighting and stuff, I was at the Video Kampong a.k.a the screen monitor, and W-O-W, it looks amazing. The set looks so real and the cinematography is very well done. 

The thing about filming in studio is that you can literally see everyone just staring at you in such close proximity. It can be quite nerve-wrecking, to be honest. You can see their scrutiny up-close, unlike on stage, where the lights are so blinding you can't really see the audience anyway. 

Funny thing that happened on set was that they DID NOT TELL ME that I was involved in a make-out scene which they kinda just sprung on me. I was like whaaaaaaaaaaaaat why does this always happen to me. I would try to avoid it as much as possible but in the spirit of professionalism I just did it and got it over in one take, shook the guy's hand and went off.
I guess in a way I didn't want to let the director down. Apparently, I was the third person to audition and Jasmine loved me so much, she cancelled all the pending auditions after me. I would totally love to work with her again (without any more surprises).
I got asked to act for some of their future projects but I'll be away in Shanghai :-( 

Four more days to Shanghai! Haven't packed and don't know what to expect! Fingers crossed. 

style strut

After two years of talking about it, Shiya and I FINALLY did a collaboration together. We've been talking about it since we've met during my Uni Orientation and have been delaying it for the longest time but we managed to catch up once again and actually did a small shoot.

I was really comfortable working with her because she was very encouraging and this was someone who had seen me do even more embarrassing stuff HAHA so comparatively, this was extremely mild.
Do go like her on Shiya Chen Photography on Facebook because her photography is just gorgeous!

Here are some behind-the-scenes shots:

At first I was insanely happy and excited to be on such a high rooftop but then I got extremely sad because I found out I ripped a HUGE hole in my dress. Shiya couldn't stop laughing at it because it was just so obvious :(  

On a completely unrelated note, I realised that I use Instagram a lot to check back on the major stuff I did in the past week.#instaftw

Hung out with Gabe last Sat before I fell ill with gastric flu so I mainly stayed at home to recuperate by watching Suits and playing DOTA. I'm still not at my best condition but definitely well enough to go out now! Caught up with my favourite half-Japanese Nat because the last time I saw her it was during Finals. Really missed her comforting presence a lot because she's extremely mature, a good listener and has such a great heart. 

We went to Underground Mkt today and so many great finds!!!!!! There were fashionistas such as Savina Chai, Linda Hao, Pia Jacq, Sonia Chew etc. there so the loot was just faboo.
I bought :

• Unknown brand Tiger Sweatshirt Top - 5 bucks
• ASOS Sequinned Summer Dress - 10 bucks
• Topshop Boutique Dusty Pink Tulle Maxi Skirt - 20 bucks
• Miss Selfridge Turquoise Fully Beaded Romper - 20 bucks
• Unknown brand Varsity Mesh Overlay - 10 bucks 
• Vintage Beaded and Embellished Slip Dress - 10 bucks
• Topshop Boutique Leather Shorts - 18 bucks
• Diane Von Frustenberg Military Silk Shirt Dress - 17 bucks

I'm really broke now........no kidding. I always get this surge of happiness when I buy something but after that there's this pang of guilt because I've a financial goal to meet for myself. 

Was reading Xue's blog and she talked about being afraid at what the future holds:

my ideas of this year were so different from the way things are working out now and I feel like everyone around me is okay. they’re going places, everything is new and fresh, exciting. and for me some mornings it hurts to get up and most nights I am glad to hit the sack because it means I get to sleep if I'm lucky. some nights I stay up because my mind will not shut up. I am tired of being scared. I want to be like the woman in Proverbs 31:25 which is coincidentally (or not) my phone wallpaper - "clothed with strength and dignity and can laugh without fear of the future", because she trusts God. and tonight I realised I am not that way. I cannot laugh without fear of the future because I still am clinging, refusing to let go of things I want and how I feel, tight-fisted, refusing to let God be God. refusing to actually believe that when I quote Romans 8:28 that it really is true. He is making all things work for my good. even if that good is not what I think it is. I want to live that abundant life that Jesus came to bring, not cowering in fear of what the next day will bring or make me feel.

I guess what she spoke about really resonated with me because I've been stuck at this crossroad in my life for so long. But there are some positive things that I've picked up while meeting with new people and I've learnt that:

a) If you're stuck in a valley, stuck in between two mountains and you are unsure of what you want, you can just go up one mountain first. Even if you are disgruntled by what you get at the top of that mountain, you can always come back down and go up the other mountain instead. Which is better than doing nothing at all.

b) A rigid perspective only limits you and if you break those barriers down, suddenly life is a lot easier. There is no one way of doing things. 

I made a promise to myself that I am going to cut back on my spending as of this week because every bit counts in saving up for my overseas education. I made the choice on going to law school in UK and I know some people are like whuuuuuuut? are you sure? but all I can say now is that nope, I'm not sure but at least I have a direction I'm going, Maybe I will change my mind, maybe I won't. But I'm not walking around in circles any more.

best coast

"I was always an unusual girl. 

My mother told me I had a chameleon soul, no moral compass pointing due north,

no fixed personality; just an inner indecisiveness 

that was as wide and as wavering as the ocean."

 

I love how the sea is so majestic it can make you feel so small. The crashing of the waves and the tide that continually kisses the coast just calls out to the part of me that longs to be closer to nature.
This is a magical spot; it really is if you can overlook the litter and the fact that it's a restricted space (hahaha) I couldn't help but to plead Chang to come with me and we were there for that quick 10 minutes where she deftly took as many photos as she could before the number of bystanders watching us made us too conspicuous. 

I was completely soaked and Chang was walking on the sand in heels but there was so much adrenaline in us we made a quick getaway and found ourselves in a completely different part of Singapore. Can you guess where this is?

If you've guessed Haji Lane, you're correct! 

We had a nice cold Belgian lambic beer at Working Title around Arab Street to cool down and laugh over what just happened and then we were off again to meet up with Tino for some hearty frog leg congee for supper.

I think I'm all over Singapore nowadays but sometimes just wandering around aimlessly in a new area can be quite exciting. I thought I've seen it all but I haven't. Stow away your phones and open up your eyes! You may be surprised at what you find. I've certainly did these past few weeks and I can't wait to find some extra time to go back to those areas just to walk around. 

The reason why I'm travelling across the nation a lot is due to my internship work! The start-up doesn't have an office so we go around meeting people and the oddest of places. The previously unexplored East side has suddenly become new terrain guided by my boss, Kyla. She's the kind of person who's both gorgeous inside and out and she's such a lovely person to be around that I honestly don't mind the fact that I have to go across the country just to meet her for a while. I'm quite lazy so that says a lot haha. 

It's the end of the first month so my pay is coming in soon. Bought my parents dinner at Watami and it feels insanely awesome to provide them what they want instead of the other way around. 

On the MSI side, I am honoured to have won the title of "Miss Sporty" during our training session! To be honest I was quite surprised because my friends keep calling me a slug. I may look really tan but I've actually been bowling competitively for ten years. So when Coach Luke announced the winner I was just stunned and it was really heart-warming when the other contestants kept chanting my name as I went up to receive the title. This MSI bunch are such sweethearts :') I'm very thankful.

Also, I've FINALLY received my confirmation to go to Shanghai for exchange. It's really soon and I have yet to settle anything so fingers crossed that everything goes well xx

make it work

The photos from the Bay Hotel Photo Challenge are out!!!
Basically we were taken into a room one by one and were briefed to change into one of the 3 outfits given, choose 1 out of 5 locations, and spend a maximum of 15 minutes to take 5 good shots. I was exhausted from the day's activities but it was really exciting and nerve-wrecking because I'm usually the one behind the camera. I didn't win (it was well-deserved by lovely kim and joring) but I had tons of fun ordering Darwis around to help me take crazy shots (whoops) I only could get these so I didn't get to see my crazier ones. Check out my pointed toes!!! Must be all that conditioning I did for my contemporary dance earlier on in the year. Kudos to my choreographers. But I did learn an important point and that it's really all about working the space. You know how photographers (me, gracia, shiya etc.) always complain about location location location but really, anywhere can be a good space to get good photographs. 

I also had the privilege to do a runway show for Dressabelle! Yet another fresh experience for me. I met Francesca, the blogshop model, and she is even prettier in real life than in the photos! I was a bit starstruck heehee. Kinda sucked that we didn't have enough time to work on our catwalk. Honestly felt that my walk could have been TONS better but I love being on stage anyhow. It was amazeballs fun! We had our makeup artist on standby as well as our own personal changer to quick change into 3 different outfits. 

So far the MSI experience had been supersonic hypnotic funky fresh but made a gazillion times more awesome because I really have such lovely girls by my side. Everyone is secretly an inner crazy chick heehee and such great fun to be with. One of my pageant besties is Kimmy!!!!!! Happy 20th gorgeous ♡♡♡

Can't imagine doing MSI without you esp. with our spontaneous selfies/ your left profile and my right profile is better/ nature wonders fruit and nuts (omnomnom!)/ chickpeas are gross etc. Throwback to our mini HTHT sesh with gelato at our first public appearance! You are such a beautiful person inside and out; truly glad to have found you! Here's to more giggles and laughs x  

into the wild

I love how I have a group that enjoys being crazy and taking photos with me. What started out as Chang and I travelling in Switzerland last summer became meeting up and introducing Gracia over at Geneva which then became a travelling trio trying to take "forlon traveller" shots. We kept that bond when we were back in Singapore and we starting taking photographs at supermarkets and grass fields. Our group is ever expanding and now we have Xiang Liang with us heehee welcome babe!!! :-*

We've only done a few photoshoots but I can definitely say for sure that we've already made progress and improvement! Obviously we're still amateur (as you can tell from our lack of a solid artistic direction right now) but the thing about creative work is that you have to keep at it by exploring and experimenting different options. There is no yardstick to determine what is "good" or "bad" per say and you only know by always trying. Unfortunately, a lot of people in the creative industry demands results on the first try. Just forget that! Focusing on progress is what's important. At least in my personal opinion. 

I've learnt a lot about photography from (Goodness) Gracia so thank you for giving me a chance to take your photo and letting me be your model! 

Okay back to trying not to overkill myself in the holidays zzz

(ALSO STILL BROKE AND LOOKING FOR JOBS)

P.S. This post goes out to my red floppy hat because it's lovely and I just got it in the mail but I lost it already :-(