Mayenne: Animated

Haven't blogged about Mayenne since her 2nd birthday. Photos do no justice to document her growth, so I'm sharing some video clips here.


One of my most favourite clips, it shows how she attempts animatedly to read a storybook.




An antic that till now we still haven't figure out what she was trying to do, she will hit the drum a couple of times, run to the mirror, and blabbers something, ending with a 2-syllabi "bae-bae". I suspect she was trying to imitate The Little Einstein.




Mayenne now plays (or tries to) every single piano key, in varying strengths too.




And here's a video of her imitating herself on the earlier "Mayenne Reading" video.

Lunchtime Double-time

One of the first photos taken with my LG Viewty Smart GC900 at the Photo Blogger event on Wed. The white balance was pretty aggressive. The place was lit with warm lighting but the shot turned out well-adjusted.

Yesterday, I went for lunch near my office and recorded my 10-minute walk to a food court in "fast motion" mode into 2 minutes, using the Viewty Smart GC900.

You will hear more commentary from me once the phone is officially launched. For now, it's just sharing of images and videos as is created from the phone direct, no third-party apps adjustment except the built-in phone functions.

Another Creative Thai Ad

Thailand ads are often laced with emotions. Here's one to share.




Pantene did this 4-minute theatre commercial about a deaf girl who yearns to learn the violin, snubbed by her pianist classmate. Eventually, she overcame the prejudice and her own inferiority and did it.

Not as well done as the other Thai commercial I posted some time ago. Nevertheless a good inspiring storyline. I could work something along this line for my next photostory...

Vanessa Mae: Toccata & Fugue

Remember Vanessa-Mae? Britain-based Singapore violinist who was known for her classical-pop fusion style. Here's a performance of one of her popular track, with live orchestra and church organ.

Hamilton Wins Formula One, Ellen Goes Clubbing with Paris

I read on the newspaper the dramatic Formula One win by Lewis Hamilton and I went to search for the video clip that shows the final lap. Lucky guy.


I also found the video clip on Emi's blog, about Ellen DeGeneres visiting Paris Hilton's mansion and going clubbing with her. It's just Ellen making a fool of herself, but an eye opener on Paris' house.


And how about airlines who charge every safety feature that we take for granted:


Petrol prices are going down, and my friend recently upgraded his 2-year Nissan Latio to Qashqai, and so did Angie's brother who got the Honda Accord. On Sunday I dropped by the Opel showroom after IKEA to check out the Meriva that is on clearance sale: $57000 for a 1.6L mini-MPV. It's an old 2006 shipment but the car is really worth the price, if you aren't particular about looks. My dad is also on the lookout for an ideal car to replace his 5-year old Opel Astra "G". So far, there aren't any cars out there that can meet the performance of the Astra at a budget, and seriously it's quite a hard deal to beat. My guess is either daddy compromises on performance or he'd have to stick with it for another 5 years.

As for me and my Chevy Optra, I'm loving it and happy with what I paid for. Of course, with more money, I can get better cars, but for now, the car is so run-in that I no longer treat it like a gem. And not worrying about the cosmetic element makes driving more pleasurable.

The Final Ember - Concept Notes

After sharing my latest photostory on ClubSNAP, the leading photographic forum in Singapore, there has been a few comments and questions regarding the portrayal of the character in the photostory. Basically, some viewers felt that the portrayal of a sick and dying cancer girl is glamourised.

Their argument lies along the lines that a girl who is ill cannot look so pretty. Nor have beautiful hair. Or doesn't look skinny. Or has radiant skintone. Along those lines, you get what I mean.

So I decide to post my thoughts regarding the intended concept here.

I never have the intention in the first place to do a true portrayal of a person in her final days. I have no intention to find a scrawny girl with severe eye bags or balding hair or a bloated face to do my photostory. I have every intention to dramatise the story into beautiful images and showcase the model's talent in portraying the bitter-sweet emotions.

When I create a photostory, I look at the subject that I shoot and decide how I should structure the theme. Should it be glamourised or should it be realistic? When I see the reference photo (refer to my original "The Final Ember" post) and Zoe, I knew I will be creating a glamourised theme.

For the sake of justification, I could say that the girl in the story did not actually die from the illness. Rather, she died because she fell from the stairs and injured herself. I only mentioned she has cancer, or in the story, a tumour, but I did not specify what cancer and the severity.

If I were to truly create a true-to-life photostory portrayal, there will be a few things that I would want to bring in:

- The interaction of the dying girl with her loved ones. You notice that there is no one except the girl in my story.

- Create low-key images such that it mirrors the emotions of the subject. My story images are mainly high-key.

- Less pretty wardrobe. This girl would not be dressed up nor will she be going out for walks.

- A portrayal of the sufferings she had to go through due to the illness. She'll be bedridden, on drips, throwing up, messed hair, basically showing all the signs of final-stage illness. My story is about her doing the 'pretty' things like writing letter, going for walks, playing with water.

Surprisingly, no one actually commented on the areas that I feel I should really be improving on - areas of photography and acting, to be specific. And I won't reveal here so as to give viewers a chance to share their opinions, if any.

And if you want a clearer view of the photostory, you can watch the 640x480 WMV file (35 MB) at http://photo.chester.sg/final-ember/final-ember.wmv

And then there is Google Picasa 3 (beta)

My friend read about my blog on Google Chrome and he asked me, "So, are you going to review Picasa 3 as well?"

I was like:"What? Picasa 3 is already out?"

Funny how things just came when you least expected it.

I quickly installed it and found some new features that will really change the way you create photos.

Apart from enhancements to existing functions, you can now:

1. Create slideshow movies in WMV format

2. Customise your photo collage better

3. Insert text will rotation capability

4. Retouch image

5. And a few other features that I have found little or no use - yet

When you select to create collages and movies, Picasa will create a new tab so that you can toggle between your creations and the main library. Better still, even after you have created the collage or movie, you can go back anytime to edit them. During collage creation, you can move images around the layout , no longer restricted to the random option.

Here's a movie collage I created using Picasa 3, using images taken from my latest photostory, The Final Ember. I inserted one of the Piano Spa tracks so that you won't get bored watching the images. I was unable to synchronise the music to the slides though: there is no option to change the transition period for individual images. Nevertheless, having this feature really simplifies the creation process and I'm sure Picasa 3 will satisfy most users. What do you expect? It's FREE!

Photo Montage - Kevin and Fynn

This is the express photo montage I did for the wedding couple on Sunday. I knew Fynn during Iris' wedding in Oct 2006. She and I stayed over at Iris' JB home to receive the groom the next day, so we had a memorable time. I was glad she asked specifically for my services after so many years.

The best men is totally sporting during the sabo. One of the bridesmaids even commented that when the same trick was used on previous weddings, the best men refused to do the tasks. Kevin's best men are simply the best: they did every task without a wince.

Trailer: Please swtich off your mobile《钱不够用2》－ 请关掉电话

Very original! Extremely unexpected twist! This is probably the best ‘Turn Off Your Mobile Phone’ trailer I’ve ever seen. I’ve never felt tickled by such messages so much. If I’m laughing when watching on YouTube, I can’t imagine the amount of laughter I will get on the large-screen cinema.

Hurray for Pocoyo

Every parent with a toddler and who subscribes to StarHub Cable TV's Playhouse Disney Channel will know who Pocoyo is.

It's an adorable digital animation in 6-minute episodes teaching children about values.

The series is conceptualised by a Spain company, but the animation contains strong Japanese anime influences. The characters design is outstanding that even adults love them.

Pocoyo, Loula, Pato, Sleepy Bird (on Pato's beak), and Elly

Pocoyo has won dozens of international awards for its quality, and has sold to over 100 countries around the world, including Japan and Arabia. So you see, it has global reach.

Here's the official blog site that details the journey of creating these lovable characters. http://www.pocoyo.blogs.com/

Pocoyo shows at StarHub Cable TV Channel 34 - Disney Playhouse - on 9am and 8pm daily.

Piano Spa 4 - TV Commercial

Finally managed to record the TV Commercial of my latest Piano Spa album. The background music they used for the commercial is in CD1 track 2, "Colours".

You See, You'll See

Just want to share this music video of a song I love many years ago. It was written by Madonna and my favourite music producer, David Foster.

I don't listen to it anymore because the song is rather depressing and it doesn't relate to my current emotion. But it did during my teens.

I always pay attention to the melody and the music arrangements of songs more than the lyrics. So I love to get hold of CD singles with extended versions (NOT club remixes) or minus-one instrumentals. This song has it, and so is another of my favourite Madonna song, "This Used To Be My Playground".

I am a selective music listener. I listen what I like, and I don't bombard myself with hundreds of songs just to expand my music knowledge. I really should, but I can't. With my listening behaviour, I cannot do that. What's my listening behaviour? I pay attention to music. Music cannot be just a background noise. Everywhere I go, when I hear something that I like, I'll pay attention to it and forget everything else.

So imagine if I'm plugged in to the radio or MP3 playlist all the time, I will not be able to do any work. Nothing. So even at home when I am doing photography editing, I do it without any music playing on the background.

It's so ironic that a musician like me is unable to listen to music at all times.

"My Girl" Thai Insurance TV Commercial Hits a Raw Nerve in Me

Some of you may not get emotional over this, but if you are a Dad yourself, and if your daughter is still in her infanthood or childhood or if you love her a lot despite being in the rebellious stage of adolescence, then this commercial will really really hit you.

I cried because the "promise to love" the Dad in the commercial has on his daughter is so intense, and the editing of the commercial makes you see the flashback moments from the birth through the daughter's growth over the years, and makes you see why the Dad is actually capable of forgiving his daughter.

I cried because of the thought that this unfortunate incident could happen to me somewhere down the road of time.

Commercials stylise reality. Yes, in real life the Dad might eventually forgive his daughter, albeit in a less-romantic way. In real life, the daughter might behave so innocent. In real life, you would not remember all the good times in such a beautiful manner. In real life, you have to face the society.

But the commercial touches on one fundamental element. The element of love. Visual arts can make you focus on the elements that they want to convey. So just put away all the "it-won't-have-such-happy-ending-in-real-life" argument and let your emotions take a ride.

Rock On Piano TV Commercial

My album has been on sale for 2 weeks, and people has been telling me they saw the ads on TV very often. But I did not manage to see it on TV myself. Until today.

Commercial In Disguise

I was watching this music video and halfway through I felt something strange. I noticed that the MV focused a lot on the female lead's silky hair. Then I saw some product placement shots, and eventually I realised that this is not just a MV, but in fact a commercial for a hair product. Enjoy.

Rowan Atkinson Live... and Kicking Funny

I enjoyed this clip a lot, and I really mean a lot.

I probably have watched it more than 10 times. Each time, I look at how Rowan executes this skit. You have to agree: comedic acts are far more difficult than serious acting. Because, while you can seek reference in every day life for serious acting, you have to seek that formula that tickles the bones of the every day people.




This video shows how he executes the skit with a straight face. Watch it not for his acting but for the twisted skit and its unexpected ending.

Montage of Love

I enjoy doing photo montages, because through montages and music, I can piece together a story that might not be possible with just a single static photo.

Video or motion picture does not have that problem because you see action and you hear the interaction.

I probably should delve into videography but I hate the idea that you need to edit the footage to make it presentable, whereas a photo can, by itself, be presentable.

When doing montages, I let the music inspire me, taking cues from the verses and choruses. The background songs are always selected by the clients, so I'll never know what I'll be getting. But as long as I (literally) move the images according to the song, I should always get it right, because after all the song is selected by the clients who obviously hold special meaning to them.

In this montage, I purposely timed the chorus to fall on the veiling rituals and later the groom kissing the bride. I also created the black-and-white images on the repeat verse after the first chorus to display some journalistic excitement. I almost often try to end the montage with some romantic images of the couple.

This is the draft first cut. After the couple reviewed it, they requested for changes for aesthetic reasons. But personally I prefer this version.

Won't You Be My Friend - Facebook?

Facebook has become such a phenomenon, a choir actually sang to the tune of "Dream".

Funny, Sia!

An extremely funny clip that I saw on Jack Neo's blog. It was passed to him by a Malaysian director who is also into comedy productions. Some of the clip excerpts need some level of "de-intellect" to understand, so for those who don't get it, perhaps your IQ is too high.



Another video clip, hosted by Debbie Wong and Howard Lo, who gives a satirical news commentary. This is episode 1, so expect more to come.