Back from Switzerland
I've managed to steal some time today to update my journal. I have been so busy this year that I haven't had much time to breathe and reflect on my life...so I guess sorting out my pictures that I've taken the past year is actually quite a meaningful exercise; it puts perspective to things. I have almost a billion gigabytes worth of images and video in my archive ever since I bought that small Creative mp4 camcorder...I'm still figuring out how to upload those videos cuz there are some very interesting footages like Alfian's birthday party and other weird stuff that I shot whenever I feel like committing it to my (virtual) memory. My hard disk is almost like a part of my brain, if it ever crashes it will almost be like suffering a severe form of amnesia...a prospect I'm not looking forward to, so I have been backing up quite religiously.
Teaching has been quite good this semester, my NAFA students are producing some very interesting and beautiful works. My Lasalle students this semester are a very interesting too, there's a Swedish student, Louise, and some Indonesian students. Classes in Lasalle just started, but somehow, I'm looking forward to what they will come up with in my class.
Here are the production pics from Queen Ping. This was probably the most fun collaboration thus far. Natalie and Sharon are probably the best people to work with...they have become family to me. What you can't see from these pics are the thousands of ping pong balls hanging above the audience. I bullied the Esplanade crew to put it up for me...hehe! but they did such a marvelous job!
Some images from the multimedia clips in Queen Ping starring Rizman Putra, Michael Corbidge, Norlinah Mohd and Nora Samosir.
I was involved in Mobile too, and I've managed to make some very good friends from all over Asia: Rody Vera, Mailes, Tua, Jaa, Reina and Tetsuo.
Another collaboration with Cake Theatre. This was Yolanda's Fever. Also very fun and crazy: Got lion dance, bagpipe players, bald malay guy playing Yolanda, Wushu boys, black mushrooms, Japanese dolphins and German seal.
Fared, Rizman and if I'm not wrong, the up-and-coming Siti Khalijah Zainal at the Atrium in Dhoby Ghaut for Yolanda's Fever.
I managed to celebrate my 26th birthday. JH and Joe cleaned my pig sty of a home so that we could have a nice small gathering. Thanks guys!
As my close friends all know, I'm a closet gizmo/techno geek. Here are my equipment. Yes, second to the right is a 22mp Hasselblad camera which was kindly loaned to me by Shriro.
Celebrating Mother's Day and my mother's 50th birthday. Miaovin and I brought our beautiful long-suffering mamas to Crystal Jade.
Finally! My first art magazine cover....well, it's not Art Forum, but who cares, I was ecstatic when I found out from the Australian curators.
This year I had a few press coverage: (from left) Changi Express, Career Central, Straits Times and IS magazine. I usually don't keep track of them, but my mother cuts them all out and saves them in a nice folder in her secret cupboard which I found out recently. Boo hoo! She does notice my work after all!
Joe and I went to Bangkok for a night because I had to see some film transfer that Ekachai and I did at the lab for our new movie, Pleasure Factory. We were treated like royalty there, we had our own personal chauffeur to drive us around, courtesy of the GMM conglomerate. It was so bloody exciting to see clips of the test we did on the big screen! Yes, I will invite all of you guys for the premiere, if the film doesn't get banned first. Keke!
After Bangkok, I then flew to the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. I stayed at the same hotel as Djinn (director for Perth), Gary Goh (producer and Asst. Director for Royston's 4:30), Saw Teong Hin (Malaysian director for Princess of Mount Ledang) as well as a few others from Thailand and Indonesia. Quite fun, and very educational. I realise making movies is a tough business, and I may not have what it takes. Ekachai on the other hand, is truly a professional. He can pitch our film non-stop for thousands of European producers for the whole day with equal attention and enthusiasm.
Managed to catch at least 3hrs of sightseeing in Switzerland. The rest of the time we spent editing and talking to European investors.
I'm currently editing a short film starring Chuan Yang which will hopefully be finished in October. So all you Chuan Yang fans out there, keep a lookout - there's the obligatory shower scene. Sorry, but I snipped off the part where you can see everything, cuz I want people to concentrate on the story. heh heh....
"Imelda Goes to Singapore" is a short film which will be a part of my Singapore Biennale piece. Nora Samosir plays Imelda Marcos who comes to Singapore to work as a maid. Do look out for it in September.
And here's the publicity for Pleasure Factory which is currently in production. The footages are much more raw and less WKW in real life, but for the sake of our European investors, we had to glam it up a bit. The trailer we did was pretty R-rated, but I'm quite excited at how this monster will finally turn out to be. Ekachai and I are trying to avoid the typical art-directed look of Asian films in PF. You know, I think I do enjoy making films a lot.
Okie, I better get back to work. I have another film project with the National Museum which will feature some really cool local athletes. Will keep you guys updated!
