Too much green

I am now sunburnt and a few shades tanner.

This is because I worked for Ashley as his second photographer last week for a charity golfing event hosted by Highpoint. I've never played golf, or even been on a golf course before, so I had no idea it would be that freaking hot and that freaking long. Now I have really ugly tanktop tan lines, a face that is slightly darker than my body, and feet that are as white as my skin could be. 

I went on a liver-killing spree over the weekend to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Besides that, nothing much has happened since I've last blogged. Poshism's contest starts today. E-learning week this week. Avalon night has been moved to next week. Assignments are starting to pile up. Goodness. Year 2 goes by quick.

Proper blog posts soon

FILM:

1. Aperture short
2. Down short
3. Musical trailer
4. Psychopathic short (postponed)
5. Ben's drum cover video
6. Secret gift to secret people
7. Homemade Chocolate short

GO TO:

1. Singapore Arts Museum
2. Food For Thought
3. Ah Loy Thai
4. Chinese Garden
5. Timbre

READ:

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2. Abundance in Katherines by John Green
3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
4. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
5. Stainless Longganisa by Bob Ong

WATCH:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
2. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
3. Toy Story 3
4. Titanic
5. Shutter Island

DO:

1. Film videos
2. Go to places
3. Read books
4. Watch movies
5. Relax

DONE:

1. Work as a photographer's assistant
2. Got paid to be an extra for a Coca Cola ad
3. Breathed Wong Fu Production's dead skin cells
4. Became a photographer for Poshism
5. Saw the Titanic: The Artifacts exhibit
6. Saw the Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal exhibit
7. Worked as a publicist and a photographer for the Only You & Me musical
8. Became an SL for the FMS freshmen bonding camp
9. Started a street photography blog on Tumblr
10. Started a couple of projects regarding writing, both articles and scripts

This is what my holiday to do list looks like after eight weeks. It was my most productive holiday to date and I honestly can't believe I didn't spend half the time on my bed. I actually think that I went out more during the holidays than when I went to school last semester. I can't decide if that's surprising or not.

A lot of stuff has happened since the last time I did a what-happened blog post, and I'll try to make individual posts for everything soon. A lot of stuff is gonna happen  in the next few weeks, and I'll try to make individual posts for those things too. How exciting. My planner's been pretty much full to the brim week after week, but it's been pretty fun.

Like I said, I'm a photographer for Poshism, but I do upload some of my own looks on it. Here's one look that got approved recently. I love this combo, because it's all my favourite pieces together! Not as special as the other outfits on Poshism, I know, but I'm happy it got approved! I shall do a post explaining what Poshism is and how it works and everything really soon!

Another photography thing that I'm doing is posting photos on my new Street Photography blog on Tumblr. Click the logo to go to the site. I used to not like photography, but now I'm just like meh. I don't necessarily think it's art, my own work, I mean, but I just like capturing things I find interesting and sharing it with the world. Maybe that's what some people may think what art is, but to me it's just fun and games, but I still do hope you like it.

It's currently 5am. I don't have classes later, but I do still need to go out later, so I'm gonna attempt to sleep now. Go on Poshism and Posh me. Muchos loves.

Singapore Local Music Scene

For some reason, Singapore has the reputation of having a non-existent local music scene. I've heard people say it's sad, because we'll never be able to compete with worldwide mainstream media, but I find this hard to believe knowing a great number of talented local musicians.

I recently went to an event called OOOM@esplanade, which stands of Originals Only Open Mic. It's the first social regular open mic event in Singapore, and is held every first Sunday of the month at library@esplanade. From what I've seen, Singapore is not lacking musical talent at all.

Most of the musicians who were there that night played indie or alternative tunes, some playing covers and some playing originals. To be honest, I really didn't expect much from the other performers. By the end of the night, I was completely blown away! I didn't get bored at all. I actually went up to one of them because I loved their original song so much, I had to get his contacts as I needed to know that I'll be able to hear the song again!

The featured artiste this month is electro-pop musician, Eli T., who performed simplified versions of his songs Dancin' With Fire, and Fallen. I listened to his studio recordings and I really do prefer the stripped-down version. He only had a pedal that manipulated his voice and added layers, and a guitarist that had a pedal with a pre-recorded riff. Not everyone might like his music, but he is definitely very talented. 

When I talk to local musicians, the first topic of concern they express is how annoying the public can get. Singaporeans complain about not having local talent to be proud of, but when some starts to shine, they tear them down almost instantly, calling people tryhards and wannabes. There are some really good local bands and singers out there that really do not get  the attention and support that they deserve, and it's sad.

If you're a big music enthusiast, you should really check out local musicians by going to places like Timbre or The Pidgeonhole, or you can check them out at the comfort of your own home through Youtube. Singapore is full of talent. The public just has to stop focusing on things like Stomping embarrassing photos of people, and focus on supporting people who do deserve the attention.

Here are some local musicians you should check out and support:

Fashion Faux Pas

I'm having huge shopping withdrawal symptoms right now.

I haven't gone shopping since last September in Bangkok, and I didn't even do much damage then. I've only bought a pair of shoes and a jumper since then, because I was saving up for my 50mm lens. Even though the lens was only a hundred bucks, it was tough, because I can't save money to save my life. Now it's the start of a new school year, and I'm just itching to shop for a new wardrobe and say "new year, new me!" like a douchebag.

I just recently broke down and bought a pair of Toms from Gmarket, because I really do need a really casual pair of shoes that don't look like they're about to break down any time soon. I am also getting a pair of mid-high cut sneakers over the next month, because Poshism is now sponsored by Feiyue shoes! How exciting. But even despite all of that, I'm still craving for more shoes! Especially after the conversation I had with Nicolette and Kuan Hui, my soul is drooling over Doc Martens.

Any of these pairs please. I must own at least one of them.

Other things I really want to get more of are oversized jumpers, maybe a bandage skirt, and I really do *need* a structured canvas tote bag to use for school. I already have a lot of bags, but none that I can use and be able to carry my big water bottle, notebook, planner, chargers, and DSLR in comfortably. Oh, goodness. I can't wait to work and get paid.

I recently realized that I've been wearing the same thing over and over again when I go out. It seems kind of ridiculous and pretentious, but being in FMS makes me feel the need to dress up to school everyday. It's not the peer-pressure-I-will-be-uncool-if-I-don't-dress-up kind of need, but it just makes me want to dress up and look nice everyday. I just either can't be bothered to or do not have the resources to. Woe is me.

This year, I plan to not wear the same outfit in the same month. Not wear the same pieces if possible. I also aim to wear more accessories and things. And maybe stretch my ears and get 5mm tunnels. And a forearm tattoo. And a lip or tongue piercing. (Maybe if I wasn't so broke and a pussy) I just need to stop looking so boring and plain, and being broke.

Credits: Doc Martens

FMS FBS 2012

Hi, guys.

I know it's been awhile since I've had anything on here, but I just came back from camp on wednesday afternoon and I totally hibernated for about 23 hours. I hope you all are still doing fine despite my absence.

FMS FBC 2012 was legendary once again. I admit, I definitely wasn't at full force, barely halfway there actually, but I did have some fun. Most of the freshies were absolutely adorable, and most of my fellow SLs were absolutely lovely. I loved all of the cheers and claps as usual, and I will definitely try my best to make Youth Camp as cheer-heavy as FBC was!

During the camp, I realized something that I probably should have already known before, but haven't fully REALIZED until then. Doing all the right things is not equal to becoming popular. You can do everything right, but still not get the attention and love that you deserve. The bad guys might as well have fucked you in the ass, but it's okay because they're doing something crazy and attention-seeking. The reason why people like reality TV stars are more well known and loved than people who are making real changes to the world. I understand, yet fail to understand why this is happening at the same time.

Anyway, it's the last week before my second year of Polytechnic starts and I'm definitely making the full use out of it. I caught a few local bands at library@esplanade last Sunday (which I will do a post on sometime soon), I'm going out with Sara Grace tomorrow, helping out with an FMSA event on Saturday, and a beach outing on Sunday! How exciting! This few months have definitely been my busiest holiday so far, and I'mm pretty glad I made full use of it!

So I'm finally done rocking my new iPhone screen out and here it is now.

The iPhone screen is actually a mirrored surface, and I glued on the studs to the cover. I haven't decided if I just want to leave it like this, or if I want to get a bumper. I kinda like it without the bumper, but we'll see how things go.

So that is all. I hope you guys are all doing fine. Make the most out of your days and don't let anyone fucking waste your time.

David Choi

Starhub and BlackBerry has teamed up to bring Singapore its first ever music festival featuring hit YouTube stars, and one of these stars is one of my favourite musicians ever, David Choi.

David Choi is a Korean singer-songwriter who grew up in California, and now a very successful independent musician. He is sometimes referred to as the granddaddy of YouTube, being one of the few who were on the video-sharing site back in its early days. 

Despite being one of the best in the YouTube music scene, in my opinion at least, David certainly didn't have the fastest ride to get to where he is now. He taught himself how to use his music equipment, went through horrible internships, and wrote and produced songs for a couple of companies. At one point, he was even signed under Warner Music Group. This is a man who has certainly paid his dues in the music industry. But fret not! All is good now! He now has over 900,000 subscribers, over 100,000,000 total video hits, and supporters from all over the world!

David's songs are mostly what some would call modern ballads, often getting girls to go "awww" and make them wish he was their boyfriend. He also dabbles in alternative, soul, and the occasional "club music" as seen in Dance To This Song. His lyrics may seem a tad too cheesy for some people, but I personally find it very sweet. I think he can really translate his feelings into songs really well without making things overly dramatic or being unnecessarily intimate. His music just feels really chill, something that I can listen to when I'm in bed unable to sleep. It's comforting.

To be completely honest, even though I think that David Choi is one of the most talent musicians out there, I don't think that he's gonna rise up to be at the top of the charts any time soon. His songs are what most people in my generation would call boring and cheesy, and I agree to a certain extent. Some of his songs could get a teeny bit repetitive, like how some songs would have slightly similar melodies, or how a lot of his songs has to do with love. But even if you factor that in, I still believe that he is a really underrated musician, and I really do think that he wasn't born in the right era.

Overall, I think David Choi is an amazing artiste. He is talented with both music and lyrics, not to mention the technical post-processing of it all, but his albums definitely wouldn't appeal to the general public, and to be honest, I like it that way. I wouldn't want his style of music to change just to conform to how the music industry is right now. He has his own thing going on and all 900,000 of us DavidChoiMusic subscribers are loving it. Also, he didn't smile during his first two years on YouTube. I am amused.

Photo credits to David Choi.

Happy Godiva Day!

It's the 1st of April, and it's Godiva Day!

If you don't know what this means, you probably don't know who Alex Day is. Which also probably means that you live under a rock.

Alex Day, also known as Nerimon on Youtube, is an eccentric vlogger and musician devoid of a record label. Over the past couple of weeks, he has been working on his latest single, Lady Godiva, and doing everything he can to get it to the top of the iTunes charts worldwide. This might seem like a huge feat to an unsigned artiste, but he teamed up with Universal Music to help distribute physical CDs to shops like HMV, and of course there's the support of his fans, who are lovingly named The Nermie Army.

Lady Godiva is not one of Alex's original compositions, but is actually by the duo, Peter and Gordon. To be honest, I prefer the original version (you can listen to it here), but only because I prefer the simpler, yet quirkier raw feel to it. If the original version didn't exist, I would still totally love Alex Day's version. Despite having a lot of tracks laid down for the song, with the trombones, bells, drums, and other instruments, it doesn't feel heavy or muddy at all. It's upbeat, quirky in its own way, and has a slight electronic feel to it.  Totally Alex Day in a song.

In my opinion, the best thing about this single is the music video! I love the old school narrative style scenes that didn't seem like it was trying too hard. I love the cinematography and lack of overly flashy editing. I love how Alex takes on different characters. I just love how simple, but incredibly quirky it all is! Typical Alex Day in my book. 

If Lady Godiva isn't your thing, you should definitely check out his other wonderful songs or his hilarious vlogs. I'm sure he'll appeal to you in one way or another.

Photo credits to Alex Day.