benkuza.com

Old stuff.

2012-01-26T01:19:00.000+08:00

HAHA I was browsing Photos to delete because my HD has only 4gb left and photos and design files actually takes up the most space in my computer... AND GUESS WHAT! I found this! LOL! One of the first photography + design project I did last year! usually I just do design.

Had to do quite a lot of work though... Source for sand, make a sand box, dry the sand.... CRAZY!
The aim was to create a zen garden look with sand for a CD Cover for my friends school project.

If you plan to do some Zen garden thing for a photo project, PLEASE read this!

Here are a few pointers to take note...

1. Put a plastic sheet under your cardboard sand box... (yes the sand is wet...)

2. Make sure strong winds doesn't blow directly on your sand box while drying indoors...

3. It takes a few days to dry... give or take about 4 to 5 days fresh out of the bag. (So dun do this as a rush project.)

Anyway this is just the first few tries... as you can see... I didnt dry the sand... That is where those pointers I wrote on top came from... Mistakes I made! =(

Anyway This last image is the final Image and outcome for the print. Could have done better if it wasn't such a rush project... Would have find a way to make the top words clearer and maybe try a few different color schemes. I was working full time just started as a photographer assistant at the same time so I did this over the weekend and at night after work which always ends late... =(

Lesson learnt is that I can't handle full time and freelance at the same time. haha!

Oh yah here is me trying to take a passport photo of myself for my JYP audition.. LOL! too bad my printer was out of ink... I had a retarded expression though.. was late friday night after one hack of a long week at work... I would say it was the worst week I ever had.. either wake up at 5am or reach home at 1am... CRAZY!

I think the lighting not bad leh.. but my boss told me that for passport photos, the background got to be pure white.

Was taken with my D300 with Tamaron 28-75 2.8... Shot at F8 or 10 I think, just to make it damn sharp... Too bad I didn't take a shot of the setup... LOL! My tripod was on my bed and the flash gun was on a stand bouncing off a wall but feathered by my clothes on the clothing rack! LOL! HAHAHAHAHAH!

Just wish to do this!

2012-01-24T00:44:00.000+08:00

One Fine Day _ in seoul from inkon on Vimeo.

Totally Wish I could do this in SG!!!! I see a growing community of fixie riders in SG.... just spotted how riding Fixie is a trend in Fajar Sec... crazy how they ride without pedal straps though.. HAHA! hope they dun get into accidents...

Reset to default

2012-01-22T22:23:00.000+08:00

Strangely I think my job has been the only thing that I have been living for. I got a month holiday as my boss is on a long trip and I totally have no idea how to start off doing anything. Be it Market myself for jobs or just shoot some products to practice my basic lighting skills.

Have you ever been at a stage that you are quite sure of what you want in life but stuck at the "how to get there part"?
I hate staying at home. At home I am unproductive and I tend to just stone the whole day. SUCKS!

Somehow I feel that I have lost my muse in what I do. Nothing seems inspiring and amazing for some reason and I just feel like I got a constant headache punching my head everyday...
OHHHH HOW TO FIND A MUSE!!! HELLLLPPPPPPPP.....

Anyway I guess thats just a phase in life... -_-ll

Happy Lunar New Year everyone! Gongxi Gongxi! =D

The Move

2012-01-20T12:34:00.000+08:00

Without anyone new I shall move on. I believe when two people come together, they should be happy. However it ended up confused unknown and full of rubbish social games. Does it make you happy that you can make someone feel so unimportant. Does it make you feel powerful that you can brush your friends off as it they didn't matter.

Whats the point of always being sincere and true if the other person is just acting and deep in their hearts they just doubt you. People who do not trust each other can't even be friends.

People are all the same. They just want what they can't have. When they get it, they stop.

Whatever, people are not objects. We feel too.

Maybe like you said I will see you in a few years time. But whatever man.. I am never going to hold on to any of your words because even the simple things you said you do will never be done.

So today I give up and move on. Not because I have a new target or even new community but giving up because it is better for my life. Go take your game elsewhere because it is game over for me.

If anyone makes you sad, you dun need them. It is true like the saying goes. "Do not feel sad because of people, they will all die."

Oh Jan...

2012-01-19T11:40:00.000+08:00

Oh.. look Jan... what have you done..

Found things while cleaning my room.

Just some of the japanese magazines I bought along the years... I got a whole stack! LOL!

JYP Again..

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-04T15:08:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year!!!

Spent it with my cell! Had Pot luck!!!! @ ECP and a Countdown at my church Touch Centre marine parade!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! =D

Buying a DSLR pt3

2012-01-01T12:45:00.002+08:00

What do you always take? or more like what types of photos interest you the most?

For me I enjoy taking people shots! a bit of products and some landscape... actually I love to take everything.. LOL! :P just that with what I got, I tend to do more people shots.. so here are some of my photos!

Church events...

Friends and Gatherings....

Street Photography...

Products...

For blogshops...

Well as you can see, I kinda like to shoot everything.. so thats why I got the Nikon D300 where the performance can cover just about anything I want. I would have gotten a D700 Full Frame/FX DSLR if not for the fact that it is very expensive and the lens that is more compatible with it is very expensive as well (although you CAN use a crop frame lens on FX DSLR just that it will lose resolution by doing so.). Plus using a D300, I can use crop frame lenses without losing resolution which are cheaper also...

My take is that if you use a DSLR which is more entry level, you can still take the same types of shots without much problem. Just that personally I like how the D300 gives me all my controls on the camera body itself so when I want to change certain settings I dun need to go into the menu of the camera like most entry level cameras for instance changing ISO, White Balance, Resolution or metering.

Aside from those reasons, the D300 is bigger, so it has a bit more presence than entry level cameras.. so it kinda looks more professional.. LOL! :P (no offense to entry DSLR users)

Overall you should think about what type of photos you are planning to shoot before making the decision on which camera body to buy!

-High speed sport photography?

-Fashion

-Product

-Street

-Friends

-Outdoor

-Indoor

-Animals

-Micro photography

-Plants

-Landscape

-Portraits

-Events

Dun be mistaken... "Does it mean if I get a entry level DSLR I cant take some genre of photos that you just listed?" The answer is NO... you still can. But different level of DSLR can provide different things. A entry level one might limit you. (but working with limitation is all port of the creative process!)

Types of photos also brings me to my last point of consideration.

Are you planning to go PRO?

If you are low on budget and do not know much about photography and cameras at all then my personal advice is to always start with a more entry level DSLR and slowly learn and see if you want to go pro or need more power to shoot what you like.

But if you were like me in the past, thinking of going pro even when I do not own a DSLR... then this might help!

Personal story of mine is that I had a Semi-pro camera.. which is not very exciting... and I was thinking of going pro one day! So before I got my DSLR, like most people I read up on it and thought to myself if I should invest in a D300 or start off with an entry level camera.

Advantages of an entry level camera is of course the weight, the price, the fact that it comes with a lens.

But I am the type that is quite attached to my equipments so I dun think I will be selling my FIRST DSLR body away to upgrade. Thus I decided on a D300.

There are many pros of the D300 for example, High shutter speed, High ISO, Dedicated Buttons, Weather proofing( yes you can splash water on your D300 and it will be ok. But dun try it.)

Compared to a entry level camera which does not offer any of those, I decided to get a D300

Next thing I considered was that if I was going to upgrade to a FX camera, my D300 can be my second backup camera because it is still good enough compared to a D5100 or D1100.

So thats another thing that was in my mind.

The last thing I always try to do is actually save up for FX lenses... HAHA! yeah I know I said crop frame lenses were cheaper... BUT! Since I know I will go Full Frame one day... WHY buy crop frame lenses?? LOL! So yah.. the last thing you might want to think about it what type of lenses are you going to get for your camera!

Well This kinda concludes the 3 Part post on Things to consider when getting a DSLR.

To Sum it up

-Budget (how much are you willing to spend.)

-Price VS specs. (More $$ means better specs)

-Do you need those specs for now? (If you are shooting for hobby or just your friends then get the cheaper one!)

-Weight (How heavy is too heavy)

-Different usage of shoots = different level of weight to carry.

-What type of photos do you plan to take? (professional level or just snap shots?)

-Are you going to go pro?

-A Higher end camera to start out or just climb the ladder and upgrade as you go?

-Buying Lenses. Full frame VS Crop frame (Thinking for future use.)

Remember! Photography is not about the equipments but the Photo itself. Even iPhone can take thought provoking images... But somethings you still need certain equipments to do for example you can't use iphone to do events photography or a wedding shoot.

REALLY hope this helps anyone who is thinking of which DSLR to start off with or to buy! Thanks for reading! =D God bless you and your journey with Photography!

Buying a DSLR pt2

2011-12-31T00:00:00.001+08:00

I hope what I touched on in budget has been helpful!

Now the next thing which is important is "How much weight do you carry around everyday?"

Number one thing to know is that... "The better specs camera... is always heavier.."

This is what I usually carry on a daily basis.

I am using a Nikon D300 with a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and a Lowepro AW190 camera bag. The bag itself is not very heavy. Overall with a few other things, the bag is mainly just the camera and the weight of 1 lens...

So this is my take... For me, I am usually able to lug around about 2-3kg worth of stuff in my bag whether a sling bag or a backpack and walk around the whole day. So for me to have a Set of DSLR gears be it the camera to the lens or the tripod, I am able to carry a certain weight for a long period of time without becoming totally burnt out.

Why should you know this?
That is because DSLR and their gears are not Light! They tend to weight a little more and take up more space. So simply place it, If you are of a smaller built or a girl and cannot carry much weight all day, of course it makes sense to get a DSLR that is smaller and lighter when you are just starting out.

The weight of the camera itself may also effects your image quality physically!
If you pick up your camera for a while, and your hands starts to shake...your photos are going to be blur..
Sometimes Having a heavy camera can effect other things. When I just got my DSLR, I did a shoot that lasted about 1 hour and after that shoot, my wrist hurt like hell! That was because my camera is too heavy for me. However the good news is that your wrist will get used to it.

One good idea would be to borrow a camera from your friends and then try it out!
Weight is always something to consider. If you are going to carry 10kg of equipment but only do single location shoots or just studio shoots, it is quite ok because you are most probably going to just leave your stuff on the floor and just handheld your camera.
If you are going to do events or street snaps, you got to get something that you are comfortable carrying around.

Things to note is that DSLR can be used to do many things from professional work to just being trigger happy snapping. If u can forgo some power and quality of your camera so that you can have a lighter camera then get a smaller one. If you do not want to forgo that then you have no choice but to get a high end camera which will always be heavier.

All this information is mainly for you to think about how much weight are you willing to carry and what do you use your DSLR for. If you carry around your DSLR everyday for simple shoots of your friends and yourself, get a light one that gives you a image quality that you are happy with.
If you will only carry it about sometimes and not affected by the weight, then a bigger DSLR is not much of a problem.

Hope this helps! Stay tune for the next part! "What do you always take with your DSLR?"

Buying a DSLR (help)

2011-12-29T23:59:00.001+08:00

Part1 of 4:

Today, DSLRs has become an affordable gadget that used to be only for the Photography buff and with Digital technology being so convenient, snapping away doesn't cost you anything than well erm..your shutter life? (Those who duno what shutter life is, it is how many times your shutter can go off before it starts to have problems.)

DSLR which stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex, has changed the way photography is done and also made it easily available for the mass public to learn and also take photos. Those with the natural Eye for photography of course do pick it up faster than others but actually if you take time to read up and practice often, you will also one day get to a certain level yourself. Thats because everyone got a different perspective to things and sometimes what looks good yesterday made look like rubbish today.

Photography to me is a tool to express an idea or capture moments. Expressing an idea just like in Graphic design, it takes time to think and also to have the right elements, lightings and models to give the total full package which translates to the photo. But to capture the moment is most of the time base on the mood you want to show and there may have many technically wrong things about your photo but it stills shows that feeling/ mood that you are going for.

But most people who knows I am quite into photography whether as a job or a hobby has always asked me the same question. "which camera to buy"

This honestly is a neither tough nor simple question to answer. However after some thoughts on this question, I have thought of a few things that may help.

Here are 4 things you might want to consider before buying a DSLR.

1. What is your budget. $$$$$$$

2. How much weight do you carry around normally. ( DSLRs are DAMN HEAVY)

3. What do you always take? (friends, family, animals, landscape, food, outdoor, indoor, event, public, spy cam 0_0 LOL!)

4. Do you wish to go Pro someday?

Ok now Having asked yourself this, next is really choosing level of DSLR!

Because this is quite long, I will be doing a series of post on my take to getting a DSLR.

1. Budget
DSLR has a range of prices. From about SGD1000 to about SGD8000 depends on how pro you are.
If you are really new to photography and have been using the Auto setting on your compact then getting a entry level DSLR is the best idea.

Entry Level DSLR are like
Canon: 1100D or 600D
Nikon: D3100 or D5100
dun ask me about Pentax or Sony I duno.. :P

These DSLRs usually comes with a basic Kit lens usually a 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AF. These lens are great for general shooting because they cover from Wide angle to a certain zoom range. They all cost surely below SGD2000 depending on what lens bundle you choose but overall a great camera to start off with. Some of them have guides and tutorials in the camera that teaches you and they still have different scene modes and stuff. However comparing to some of the higher end models, you maybe thinking "why not just get a better DSLR and use it all the way?" the Answer to that question is simple. Camera Bodies are always changing... if you want to invest more just invest in good lenses! Get good lenses and when you feel that your camera body is starting to fail your expectations, change the body but keep the lens!

OK if you are very family with all the Aperture priority and shutter priority modes and stuff like Centre Weight exposure and ISO, white balance etc.. You won't really be reading till this point unless I interest you in one way or another... LOL!
But if you know all about it, you should venture above the entry level DSLR and go a little more professional. Of course professional gears have their "professional" prices. So unless you got that "professional" income to deal with it, spend your money investing in Good lenses and think about the body later.

You are more!

2011-12-29T23:09:00.003+08:00

Been listening to "The Tenth Avenue North" Got their CD as a Birthday present! But this Whole album is like a worship sermon all in one! really made me think...

Hope this Song ministers to those listening to it Christians or non believers!! Because you are more than what you or others make out of you. So do not let the imperfect judgement of others be the driving force and the reasons to how you should lead your life. You are made for bigger things!
God bless.

You are more.
There's a girl in the corner
With tear stains on her eyes
From the places she's wandered
And the shame she can't hide

She says, "How did I get here?
I'm not who I once was.
And I'm crippled by the fear
That I've fallen too far to love"

But don't you know who you are,
What's been done for you?
Yeah don't you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

Well she tries to believe it
That she's been given new life
But she can't shake the feeling
That it's not true tonight

She knows all the answers
And she's rehearsed all the lines
And so she'll try to do better
But then she's too weak to try

But don't you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you've made,

You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

'Cause this is not about what you've done,
But what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been,
But where your brokenness brings you to

This is not about what you feel,
But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You've been remade
You've been remade.
You've been remade.
You've been remade.

Check out their album : Inside and in Between

Preachy post: Christmas

2011-12-26T01:53:00.002+08:00

Preachy post:

It is Christmas once again. YEAH!!! When I was Young Christmas was the best! My parents would buy me presents and we will have dinner outside and the television would be playing my favorite cartoons and interesting shows.

As I get older Christmas became a good reason to hang out with friends. Chill, have parties or gifts exchanging. It was fun, my church would have a huge Party where we will all gather and have fun! Play games and also it was a good reason to hangout till late and my parents would be quite ok with it because there were many young adults looking after us. Was an awesome time!!!
At home my family celebrates most major festival by either eating out or having home cooked western food! Which my mum is actually quite good at!

But as I grew even older, Christmas just lost it meaning totally. When you can chill with your friends, eat anything you want to and hang out as late as you want regularly because you are already a young adult (HEHE Thank God and I am really grateful for that!) But all the perks of Christmas seems to lose its value to me and just become another holiday from work. =(
To add on that, I feel that todays Christmas has become very commercial. Everything is about buying and spending and discounts and more buying and more spending (well not like it hasn't been that way since I was a kid) but I guess when you reach a point in life to realize that the whole concept of Christmas is slowly being warped into something so far from it original meaning to the point that it just has no meaning at all.

Christmas... what is it?

Christmas is to celebrate the fact that Jesus was Born! and really... thats all there IS about Christmas! I really Thank God for that! Without God my life would seriously be much worst.... How bad? you can ask me and I will share my testimonial with you!

Well I hope this Christmas as all the parties go on and friends meet and have fun, Just remember in your heart that without God sending His Son to die for us, Christmas would never exist! So Merry Christmas everyone and God bless you to have a safe and meaningful Christmas! =D

Screen Printing!

2011-12-20T00:09:00.001+08:00

HOHO! I have always wanted to silkscreen print my own tee shirt! Finally I have Gotten my Butt down to doing it!
So anyhow I had this Tee brand that I came up with LOMG LOMG TIME AGO! ( yes LOMG is not a typo it means LONGxOMG= LOMG!) How long exactly? Well before NS when I was still studying in La salle!

Actually Looking at this logo and name, I kinda find it a bit weak... Makes an awesome Hip Hop series brand name though! Well I duno may come out with another logo and brand name... Will keep to this for now! The Idea behind this logo is "To be Fun Together."

So why not TFT instead? I was actually thinking of "Funk" which is happy and interesting and creative as in Funky weird but cool kind of meaning. While for "Triad" It has a Gang meaning to it but it also means a Group of more than 3 people. So the overall concept is a Group of Funky people!
There you go Funk Triad!

I am thinking of using this for my tee shirt designs! =D Please give me some feedback and comment!
Hopefully someone wants to buy it... HEHE! First launch will be at a REALLY cheap price!

Actually if you want to screen print anything it is actually quite easy! Here are the steps!

-Design Files in illustrator!
-Use only VECTOR!
-save files in High res JPG
-Go Google Lam Thong Building Singapore
-Go there and ask them what to do!

LOL! yeah I know damn Vague the steps... but HEY! I already told you where you can make the silk screen.. SO if you LOVE tee shirt design and want to mass some of the tees you got... GO DO IT! =D

JIA YOU JIA YOU JIA YOU!

Updates of An Average Life...

2011-12-12T15:07:00.001+08:00

OK been busy busy busy with work and stuff! So super many photo updates! I am not a Girl so dun expect a 100 Zhi Lian shots! maybe just one or two.. :P haha!

First up for 11 dec yesterday! Daryl and Melissa's Wedding!
They are one of the most good looking couples I have seen so far... usually couples always have either one less good looking than the other :P! ( yup evil but TRUE!) but both of them are so Handsome and Beautiful!

I designed a Movie poster for their wedding! Taken with the Handsome Groom!

FOOD!!!!!!!

Daryl Singing a Love song for Melissa infront of everyone.. awww

TOAST!!!!!

Always got to change dresses during weddings dinners.. LOL!

Met up with Kat for dinner to talk cock and also discuss some work! Super long time no see! I think the last time we met was in feb? LOL!

HEHE this one is PURE LUCK! haha! My boss invited a Client/ Friend from Manila who was in SG for a workshop to dinner! and i was lucky enough to be able to tag along!!! =D HAHA! shiok! had dinner at Raffles Hotel and IT WAS AWESOME! The food there is really really SHIOK!
Really Thank my boss for asking me along! hehe!

Nice table settings!

very nice mood and interior!

HAHA! I was wearing a regular tee I usually wear for work so I was seriously underdressed.. LOL! :P

OK from here it is just some random things!

HAHA stalking Hyomin from T-ara twitter isn't she like OMG cute... HEHE! Such a FANBOY!

OK why is this photo up here? thats because I rarely style my hair these days! Did a shoot HEHE more details to come soon! but I styled my hair! LOL (happy over stupid things..)

I DIDN'T KNOW A&W HAD CREAM SODA! bought it, tried it, LOVED it!

HAHA er... the sun was good to take buildings? LOL! does that count?

OK! next is the Perks of the Job photos! =D FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!

They are all from random places...

Yup! thats about it for this 2 -3 weeks! Hope to have more interesting things to update soon!! =D

Knocked Out Cold...

2011-12-05T22:44:00.001+08:00

Been knocked out cold this weekend starting with a flu attack during my shoot with Dai fashion Shop on Sat then the next thing I know was an explosion is flu and fever... Been totally weaken this weekend and had to take 2 days off work to fully recover because I cant concentrate when I am really dizzy which will cause problems at work. On top of that I couldn't participate in the Standard Charted Marathon. =(

Been thinking about life too... direction and determination, I guess it is never easy if you want to get somewhere in life and there will be a time of testing and hardship before you can bear any fruit of the labour. So far I realized that I have been underestimating a lot of things thinking that it is easy to learn or easy to do while it actually takes some experience and a lot of hardship before you can get anywhere.

Somehow I really miss school life, doing projects and trying out new stuff without worrying that you will be the cause that screwed everything up. Personally I feel that having unknown work ending time and schedule is really taking a mental toll on me because I cant plan anything and got to reject anyone and every appointment because I got no idea what time work ends. =(

Guess entering the workforce early has its pros and cons. Praying for Strength and perseverance to run this race and hold on till I can get better to start off on my own.
Well my mum is right. If you want to do well in anything in life you got to go through shit and tough training before you can get anywhere. Pray for favor and Speedy recovery!

Fixie LOVE! Seoul Got Soul

2011-11-30T10:31:00.001+08:00

[SEOUL GOT SOUL] SAVE THE BIKE LANE (Full Ver.) from David Jongkwon Kim aka DKshop on Vimeo.

Found this interesting video recently which is totally what I am currently super into! HAHA! FIXIES! I feel that the World will be a better place if we all ride instead of Drive... Fun and Healthy! Working hard so that I can afford a Fixie myself... but I just got too many things to pay for currently. Totally Love the Blue frame with White drop bars and Rims Fixie in the vid! If only Singapore had 4 seasons.. then more people will ride!

Personally I enjoy the designs of the logos in this video and the selection of Type they used.. haha! oh well videography is good too! and the whole idea is Spunky! LOVE IT!

Also now with DSLR capable of doing such high res Videos, that really opens doors for the public to do awesome videos... they can use wide angle and zoom lenses to give the Videos such an interesting angle and depth of field to add on to the mood which was only possible for professional video gear.

Hope I can save enough for a Fixed Gear next year end Jan and ride around during my work break! =D

Enjoy this Video.. they got other videos too! it is a Series!

Funnies!

2011-11-27T14:23:00.001+08:00

For anyone who dun really know... I am a huge Kpop Fan (dun judge) But Reasons why I love korean entertainment is because of videos like this.

Oh I am a huge fan of 2AM& 2PM.... But JoKown got to be the funniest guy among all of them! LOL!

Studio Test shoot...

2011-11-22T11:51:00.001+08:00

There are times when we need to test the lighting and stuff during shoots... so I have to be the Test Subject HAHA!

Weekend Project: Diy Bag

2011-11-20T20:06:00.001+08:00

Something that I love is Bags... and I really always wanted to design and sew my own bag! Although my main Goal is to make a backpack of my own but the current reachable goal I got was a Tote Messenger Bag! So I looked at a few references and selected the material I loved and started to design my own bag!

The drawing is quite simple!

Designed the overall look and feel of the bag and how the compartments are going to be placed!

For me I wanted a slot to hold at least a 15inch Macbook pro and some organization pockets to hold my wallet, iPod, brolly and some other misc stuff.

So after planning out the design and sizes of everything I went out to get some materials!

Sourcing for materials was one tough thing to do because in Singapore no one really does stuff like this. So getting good materials like Cordura Nylon, Ykk waterproof zippers and Black metal buckets and hardware was out of the question. So sadly I had to settle for the best of what I could find.

I got Waterproof Nylon, PVC Canvas, Seat Belts and a few plastic buckets.

So next it is Cutting out the pieces and organizing everything together.

PVC canvas... haha erm I bought 4 meters... er.. because I like PVC....

Had to do everything on the living room floor because my room has no space.

Cutting all the pieces to be sewn together.

This is the rough look of everything that I did before sewing. If you noticed there is a Sewn PVC material on the top. That was a Test piece to see if my sewing machine can take the stress of the materials.

Excuse the Poor lighting and snap shots... I was to excited about making the bag that I totally couldn't be bothered to waste any precious time trying to pose all my stuff so I took them as I placed them! LOL!

Anyway...... With all the pieces together... WE SHALL COMMENCE THE SEWING!

(sorry Sewing pic are all taken with Iphone.)

Doing all the Small things first.

Pinning down the materials together so it won't run when I sew.

Box Stitch for the win! It is strong and it looks cool! I love doing Box Stitching!

Sewing all the materials together!

Anyway FYI... it is not as easy as it seems.

OK If you noticed the inside is Green is because it is the PVC lining the inside. There are no pictures of me sewing the PVC because it is a very difficult material to work with as my sewing machine is really old. Thus I was too frustrated and concentrated on getting it done right that I totally forgotten to take the photos of the process. :P

Putting on the Finishing touches. Why is the lighting so harsh? Thats because it is already late at night!!!! Been cutting and sewing for many hours already... SUPER TIRED!

OK anyway After Toiling for 14 hours, it was already 1am and I was too tired to do the last part which was the strap. So I decided to wake up at 8am and continue!

FINALLY! it was morning and after finishing up the strap HERE IT IS!!!! MY DIY SPLASH PROOF NLYON TOTE MESSENGER!

Influenced by many other bag designs that I have seen and putting everything that I love from each design into this! It could have been better if I could find my zippers. Anyway this is Prototype #1 AKA "Urban Carrier" haha! yes I named it! =D It also has a little military influence in the colour and design!

Bag specs.

Built with Waterproof nylon and PVC canvas lining!

Double the waterproofity, double the durability!

Key ring Holder for keys!

Always very important to have a dedicated place to store your keys so you won't need to look high and low for them.

Laptop/ separation compartment.

This Compartment fits a 15inch Macbook pro nicely! And it can be used to hold other things like books or magazines so that the edges wont get Doggy ears.

Clip on Straps!

Carry it Tote, Carry it Sling... it is up to you!

Side Pockets

Erm... like described... Side pockets! you can stuff a regular 500ml bottle in there!

Anyway after some use this is how the bag looks like on me. FYI I am 187cm tall.

All and All I think this is one of the best thing I made so far! I took it for a test run and it can really carry a lot of weight. I found a few design flaws to improve on too! It has been an awesome experience and a really satisfying one for me because it has been something I wanted to do for a while now and super passionate about! HAHA I feel super proud of myself! =D

All in all I love it and can't wait to do Version 2 soon with the problems solved and maybe added Zippers. (as you see there are no zippers in this bag.)

Thank God for Giving me the strength to endure through many problems faced while sewing and also to my friends who encouraged me to do what I love!

For all those who want to make your own bag... GO DO IT! If my super old sewing machine can do it SO CAN YOU!

(Anyway remember to use Needle 16 or 18 to do this.. or else it will just snap!)

PE tee... + Hair cut!

2011-11-16T22:35:00.001+08:00

Cut my hair this monday! Erm I doubt the photo does any justice to it but what the hack... I havent used Photobooth for ages.... And since I am on the desktop I cant shift my comp to hide the mess in my room as always! LOL! :P

Check out my Old Yusof Ishak PE Tee! It still looks like new and the worst part is that I am NOT from the Blue house but Green... however everyone had a blue house tee then because we all liked the colour! =D

Beautiful Earth.

2011-11-16T21:20:00.001+08:00

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Awesome... just a sight to behold of God's creation.

Old Lomo

2011-11-13T00:03:00.001+08:00

Lomo Washout: Vivitar Wide & Slim (old unposted photos)

These are some old shots I took with my Trusty Vivitar Wide Slim camera.

I have no idea how much it cost right now but I got it for 20 bucks online when Lomography was damn new and starting out in SG... about 3 years ago? Love this camera like mad! It is Wide angle I think it is at 20mm? but it shoots at F14... so it only works when the sun is blazing. as u can see the photos are quite clean and nice since the sunlight is always strong! Small compact light and awesome! =D

Next: The Future of Tee Shirt Graphics

2011-11-10T12:04:00.002+08:00

NEXT: The future of T-shirt graphics from T-world on Vimeo.

Designing Tee shirts has been my number one driving force for the things I do for many years. My Dream is to setup my own tee shirt line and have a small shop in Sg... This desire pushed me to study Graphic design in Lasalle and also gave me a passion for Designing tees.
However after 2 years in army of Doing nothing and being so stuck in camp all the time without internet and access to anything, this passion has died and been slowly fading away. Watching this Video just sparks me to get back on track with my original passion and restart my research and start working on my own brand while dealing with Full time work. Working full time in a sort of related industry is important because I will learn another skill set at the same time earn some capital to start out!

I remember an advice from a good friend Eric Villarama, he told me I can do many things in life but make sure they revolve and relates around the same main goal.

No conclusion but Life brings you around many paths but which one will you follow through till the end?

Building Snaps

2011-11-08T00:01:00.000+08:00

Streetsnap: Buildings

Inside Raffles City

New Wing of Carlton hotel

There are 2 different type of trees at the church in City Hall each with their own mood , I cant remember the name of this Church though.

I never knew there was a hotel inside of Fort Canning Park.

Took this near the carpark at Hotel Fort Canning. Feels like a resort at the beach doesn't it!

Had one free day last week and it was spent meeting a friend and checking out prices for winter wear as I am planning a trip to Korea again next year! Anyway I am glad that I decided to bring my camera along that day. Took a stroll around City Hall towards Fort Canning park to Dhoby Ghaut area and found some interesting angles to take of buildings that has been there for a while and we always pass by them below without really taking a good look at it.

Hope to find time to do a mini interesting buildings series of photos soon. Been so busy with work everyday. Work Hard and play hard I guess!

Crazy weeks...

2011-11-04T22:49:00.000+08:00

Woah just had the most crazy 2 weeks in my life...It is just Work, Home, Sleep Repeat everyday! But I found time to read a really helpful Self-Help ebook on my phone and also had a lot of time on the bus and train to do some self-reflection.

I burnt my weekend working too and I was so tired I slept and rested while I had any free time at home. I guess thats working life...

One nice thing that I see everyday despite the busy schedule is the Clouds! These 2 weeks there has been amazing clouds! Although it rained everyday around afternoon time, during the the morning and late afternoon, the Sky is always Amazing! Too bad I was working and didn't have my DSLR with me... or else I would have really Awesome stock photos of the sky!

Anyway Iphone also can lah! check it out!

Clouds are really amazing! sorry ar all these are snap shots so dun expect too much from it.

Anyway the only interesting photo I got is this from doing a shoot at NTU... we all had to wear Lab coats and goggles in this area!

Perks of the Job: Shang Palace

2011-10-28T23:22:00.000+08:00

Perks of the job post:

Hungry Hungry! I wonder whats for Lunch!

Lunch at Shang Palace @ Shangri-la Hotel today! Awesome stuff!

Was having a full day shoot at Shangri-la Hotel. One of the perks of full day shoots at such places is that lunch is covered and today we had our lunch at Shang Palace. The food was Awesome!~ Dim sum tasted great and if you notice this pork dish with golden sticks at the side, those sticks are man tou! NICE! =D If one day you feel rich and want to have some altas Chinese food... head over to Shang Palace!

Few things to make a Awesome set!

2011-10-27T19:30:00.001+08:00

Call me materialistic, but I am soo wanting to get some gears to go out shooting! Really want to get a Fixie like this one... simple and good!

Paired with a Mission Workshop Vandal Roll top Backpack (as seen in my Miracle wish list post) , a Camera Holding Unit so that I can dump my camera in my backpack instead of a camera bag and I am ready to go out shooting wherever I want to go!
Actually I got an interesting project in mind and want to get to it soon. Shall go scout and take a few shots this Sat... Would be nice if I had a fixie to cycle to my locations but life is such where there are more important things to settle than to go get things you might Want...
Anyhow So excited about this project and I feel like shooting it in Film though... but the problem is that if some pics screw up then it spoils the whole set! =( One thing I could do is shoot in both film and in Digital. However that means a lot of load... haha! Anyhow please look forward to my next project! =D

Busy at work but Expressing concepts is something that drives a designer mind! =D

Smoke Photography: Natural Magic!

2011-10-26T13:38:00.001+08:00

Smoke Photography, the beauty in simple nature!

(colours obviously tweaked in photoshop!)

This is one thing I believe that every Photographer should try at least once! All you need is...
-A1 black paper (I think mine is A1.. if not it is A0)
-Joss stick
-Blue tack
-Table
-Table lamp (this is needed so that I can see the shape of the smoke and do your focusing. At shutter 1/250, the table lamp light is not strong enough to be captured.)
-A4 Mounting board (This is to make a simple snoot)
-Camera and Tripod! (like DUH!)
-Off board flash with wireless sync (I used a SB28DX which my boss lent me and a Yongnuo wireless sync.)
-Len used was Nikon 55mm Marco prime lens manual. (also loaned from my boss. He doesn't use them anyway.. LOL!)

Here is my setup! Why is the photo blur is also because it is a manual lens and I didn't focus! LOL! Ignore the reflector....It lit up my background paper so I dun think thats a good idea to have it. If you got the equipment, you can try flashing 2 focused light beams from the back at an angle towards your camera so your background paper doesn't light up. I used one focused beam for my photos.

If you noticed smth on the flash gun, thats what the A4 mounting board is for! You to cut it up and rubberband it to your flash gun so the light doesn't spread everywhere. Simple and nice! no need to buy a barn door for your flash gun! My mounting board only costed 1 dollar and I think I picked up the rubberband from the floor!

Once you got your setup done. Manual focus and fire away! Dun ask me what my SB power was at because I Agar Agar only took a few test to get the best effect.. LOL! If I am not wrong, I set my aperture to F16 ... made it really small so the photos wont have such a shallow depth of field.

This is one thing that most photographers can easily do and the outcome looks great! it took me only 15mins to setup! Give it a try and share your results! =D

SLR Nikon FM10

2011-10-23T20:40:00.000+08:00

Being a photographer, it is important to have a DSLR but of course having a SLR is important too! SLR in the layman terms means Film Single Lens Reflex so in short it is a film version of the DSLR! =D AWESOME! For a SLR, everything is manual from the focusing to the metering. The only aid is the inbuilt meter that tells you if u are over or underexposed. However depending on the image itself, the meter might not always be very accurate with its reading.

Anyway sadly this roll of film came out quite dark, more like all of the images were underexposed because I adjusted the wrong ISO onto the meter. However I actually loved how the underexposed images creates a sort of mood that is interesting yet helps bring out the story in some of the photos at the same time. I Guess I got to Thank God for that! I got Lucky.

You might be wondering why are the photos red. That is because of the type of film I used. I remember I just popped in my SLR this Lomo Film I bought on a discount. The only photoshop I did to them was Auto Contrast because a lot of them were very very flat.

Hope you enjoyed looking at them! =D

Oliberté Footwear

2011-10-22T11:20:00.004+08:00

It was my Birthday end of last month and I decided to get myself a Bday present! If only I saw the Incase backpack before this, I think I would have bought the backpack instead... LOL! Sorry more of a bag than shoe freak. Love Shoes though...

OK! What did I get? As the title shows, I got Footwear! =D and not just any crappy footwear but a pair of boots by this canadian brand called Oliberté.

They are a shoe making company that has their factories all in Africa! Their shoes are hand stitched and made of really good quality leather!

anyway this is the shoes! on the Image I added some information of Oliberté.

OK I tried to do a simple shot of the boots. I did not do detailed views of the shoes because this is again not an Ad but something I just do for fun!

You can find out more about their shoes and the culture of Oliberté at their website oliberte.com

Here is a short review of this pair of boots I got! It is called "Gando" Fashioned after military combat boots design which explains the way I took the photos and I totally LOVE Military inspired stuff.

It is super comfortable! but I would say it is a little heavy. However boots are never light to begin with. So for boots the weight seems comfortable enough for me. They wrap well around my ankles and since they are boots, you can just trek on almost any terrain and not care too much! However since it is made of nubuck leather which is a little like suede where it is harder to clean. So a good suede brush is still needed to get the grim off this one. other than that it feels like a good pair of boots made to last! Form, Function and Price the most important thing for me.

For this design, good build and quality materials, I felt that it was worth the price! I got it at USD150 from some online shop due to some free shipping offer but if you want to support them directly, you can get it from Oliberté website themselves at USD165 w/o shipping charges.

All in all a great brand with a positive vision! Excited to see what else they come up with!

T Level

2011-10-17T01:57:00.000+08:00

Weekend project: Photoshoot...

Model: Keith / Bike: Gareth/ Photographer: Me

Alright! I am actually someone who loves Bags a lot! But I do not go for those Branded goods like LV or Prada. I look more into the Form, Function & Price of a Bag. So anyway before my last trip to Korea, my friend was talking to me about this brand of messenger bag called T level from Korea and he told me that it is one good brand to lookout for! So while I was in Korea, I decided to check out this brand and see for myself what was all his hype about.

And I was BLOWN AWAY! T Level bags are SUPER Awesome! Form Function and Price!

When I saw this messenger bag in Korea, I totally fell in Love with it! It looks good, has good functions, weather proof, organized and full of features! Check it out! I took the image off their Website though, sadly I got no space to do product shoots at home.

This bag cost 129,000Won in Korea which is about SGD169.
From the Buckets to the Zips to everything! This bag is just Well Designed and made!

It comes with a removable 13inch laptop case which has organization pockets on the sleeve itself, so you can actually use laptop sleeve as a folder by itself.

Made of Waterproof Cordura Nylon. (Very important in Singapore when it suddenly rains all the time.)

All zippers are waterproof YKK zippers.

There is a Tarp lining inside which doubles up the water proofness of this bag.

I been using this bag for about 6months everyday and it hasn't had much wear and tear.

Been through a few heavy downpours and all my stuff inside are always dry!

The make of this Bag is so super awesome and full of good things that you cant believe it is just SGD169!!!

Totally love it!!! The makers of T Level Bags really had alot of thinking done before designing their bags. This bag works as an urban bag for daily use yet if you are a messenger and got to send Docs and Parcels, you can just pull out the laptop sleeves and have more space! I believe Modular systems are the way to go for bag designs because it just offers so much options to different type of users in one system! This is one of the few bags which is really worth it. for SGD169 or more, most other brands only offer a few organization pockets and one main compartment and most other messenger bags for some major design flaws here and there which either makes the bag uncomfortable to wear or not fully weather proof.

IF you got to find a flaw about this bag I would only say they should have a few sizes to it. I was in Korea and this was the only size they had. (not sure about now) Would be nice if I could get one that fits a 15 inch Laptop!

Other than that I think this is as good as a messenger sling bag can be for the price you are paying! =)

The next time I go over to Korea I will invest in the Backpack by T level another awesome product! Check it out at their online shop here! http://www.wherehouse.co.kr/ The price is the same except the shipping cost is just way too much or else I would buy everything T-Level.

Hope this helps anyone looking to know more about T-Level bags! :)

Disclaimer this is not a advertorial post! I love bags and photography! And awesome stuff should be shared! This shoot was a weekend project.

Working Overseas Pt2

2011-10-12T23:28:00.000+08:00

It is part 2 of my work trip... Day 3 was the same.. just work and food.. LOL! but after we finished we had abit of time to go R&R... so our friendly host brought us to this place called Market Market and opposite it High Street where we where going to have dinner at another of their outlet called Stock Market.

Act cute...

act cute with cake...

Act cute before i sleep... LOL! yah I know... I am Damn AC...

YEAH waffles for breakfast!

Duno what this 2 man are doing under that hood.. LOL!

Rainbow dog! haha! the owner thought it was funny.. I thought it was cruel... =(

Cute dog.. Got no idea what breed it is though.

Pinapple salad! at this place called Stock Market! awesome food~!

Tomato cheese soup!

There is always space for cake! Esp delicious cake!

Haha! The coffee creamer is a cow... but the cow vomits the milk out.. LOL! Design Fail...

This Dog is so cute!

Anyway that about sums up the whole trip! LOL! just work and then eating.. I think I gained about 2kgs working there!

On the last day before my flight I was desperately trying to stuff the cracker I bought and some snacks from my host into my bag! LOL! looks at it.... stuffed to the MAX!

Had this "Mang Inasal" Chicken for lunch.. it is like a fast food thing but with free flow rices! I didnt eat more than one serving though.. because I already had too much the past few days!

Some street store.. didnt dare to try though.. LOL! :P

Instead of regular orange juice I got this Orange cooler drink which I never had! Turns out to be just carbonated orange juice!

Oh You know you can order free drinks on SQ flights right? Anyway I got Baileys! and it tasted good! This is the only few alcoholic drinks I like though...

Anyway after all it was an amazing trip... although short and alot of time spent working.. but I enjoyed listening to the stories of the people there and Thank God for the chance to fly... the only draw back was that I had to reschedule my BTT till nov because of this trip... =( Thanks to anyone who is reading! =D

Working overseas!

2011-10-09T13:10:00.000+08:00

Recently I been given the opportunity to fly overseas for a photoshoot! This is the first time I flew for work and it was a really exciting and fun trip! The best part was that Everything was paid for! =D
Where did I fly to? Hee! I got a chance to fly to Manila, Philippines! Working with Bistro Group to do a photoshoot for their menu!
My hotel stay was at Garden City hoyel located at Makati (hope I spelt that right.) and had really good food everyday and I really enjoyed the hospitality of the people from the Marketing Comm of Bistro group! The service standard in Manila is really good too! Never will you be so warmly greeted by service staff and going the extra mile is the basic standard of everyone serving!
One interesting thing about Manila is really the food! the flavors are really rich and every single thing I had over there had a interesting and different taste even though it is the same kind of things u can get back home! I believe that the chief were really passionate about cooking!

Day one!

Look at all the bags we are bringing! crazy!

Check in!

even brought our own trolly! =D

My boss!

This guy behind me always kicks my chair... -_-ll

Cute Air stewardess who had no choice but to chat with us while the plane was taking off... LOL!

Air plane menu!

I actually love air plane food! yeah!

ESP the bread! I will always ask for 2! =D

Seafood.

Chicken.

ICE-CREAM!!!!!

It actually tasted quite good!

Finally in Manila!!!! WOOT!

Bag count to check if we got everything! Very important!

City Garden Hotel! =D I got a whole room to myself! It was quite scary actually... slept with the TV on.. watching TVN! lol! and the subs are in English!

Toilet was quite nice! =)

Day Two!

Buffet style breakfast!

Chicken, fish, potatoes, ham and garlic fried rice!

HAHA! waiting for the Van to pick us up! =D

Act cute in the van! =P

Time to talk work! serious mode!

Setup complete!

Time for Chief to do his magic!

HAHA! everyone is hard at work except me.. =P

SNACKS!

Everyone working and I am eating! :P

This is a Sugar coated cheese roll from Mary Grace... really really delicious! it is a must try if u ever go over to Manila or Philippines!

Quotes that keeps the chiefs in the right mind frame!

Old school RC cola!

Anyway cant really post any pics of the food we took.. HEHE!

OK! after Day one of work! it is time to R&R! the friendly people of Bistro group decided to bring us to one of their outlets to have dinner! It is called Karzy Garlic! because almost everything has garlic in it! the food is really awesome and the taste makes you want to come back again. (not for "Twilight" Edward fans though.)

So this concludes the first 2 days over at Manila! It is always fun working if you like your job! =) stay tune for more post about Day 3 and 4

Miracle wish list!

2011-09-28T07:59:00.001+08:00

Lol! Hehe I damn bua yao bai one! My bday is coming!! 30th sep!! And what do you think of during birthdays? Of course presents lah!!! And what's everyones biggest problem? That is of course thinking of what to get you that you would love and use than to something that would be just chucked away in a corner and left alone! So here I m with my wishful thinking of a wish list of what I would want...

Why is it called a miracle wish list? That's because it is expensive! Lol!

Ranking from most wanted...

#1 vandal roll top backpack by mission workshop...
This one is crazy! As most of you know I am backpack crazy and I love weather proof stuff! And there is only one place that sells it! "Fall Factor" it is somewhere opposite queens way shopping centre along the same road as ikea!
New ACU digital cam! (or black or grey)

#2 ok this one is more decent but at the same price.
Walden travel size guitar
This solid top piece is awesome with a nice tone and perfect carry around size! It is almost the same size as a Big Baby Tylor but half the price tag...
No image for this one though. Well that's about the only 2 things.. Haha! Sadly they both cost the same price! Lol! $399 Lol! :p Anyway that is why I say Miricale wishlist and not just wish list! Would be nice to get any of them though.. :P Oh look out for a amazing food trial in Manila next! I went there for work for 4 days! Too many pics for me to upload by phone!!! Exiting! Alot of camwhore pics too! My blogging Shi Fu teach me one.. So dun blame me for acting cute! Lol! :D

Beauty

2011-09-21T22:58:00.001+08:00

Amazed at the beautiful sky today! So I took a few shots with my phone! Enjoy!

Finally the weekend...

2011-09-18T22:54:00.000+08:00

You will never treasure the importance of something until you lose it... That is so true! Working is really tiring esp when you are always new on the job and have to think ahead of the photographer. What lost is really time to do anything else. So jammed packed everyday I only go home to sleep and to wake up later to go back to work. Weekends have become super precious to me because thats the only time I get to spend... I try my best to meet my friends and although I get to see how things are done at work, I need some time to experiment shoots on my own with just table lamps and sun light!

Time is tight and I want to make some money out of this little time I got even during the weekend. Hopefully my plan works out and things will go well... really praying for it. Going to get a flash gun the following weekend and experiment on how to use it.
Every weekday is packed with work and every weekend is packed with personal work... haiz.. work never ends... I really need to schedule sometime to do some exercise too.

I think during the long break next year, I shall invest my time in doing some shoots and also revamping my room... my room is damn tight and small due to lack of storage space and shelvings. Got to drill and get some new furniture from Ikea!

The worst problem is actually getting the right amount of rest... with time so tight and with so much spent on traveling, I really have to wake up early and go home late. Without enough sleep I tend to fall sick easily. Pray for my body to hold up with whatever rest I can get.

Got to setup a New laptop fund too! shall upgrade to a Macbook Pro after the next upgrade!

Anyway There are some perks of working! FREE LUNCH! HEHEHE!

Tired

2011-09-09T00:02:00.001+08:00

Tight Schedule...

2011-09-07T23:55:00.000+08:00

Alright! super busy this week... 5 full day shoots in a roll so! Squeezing in a Post although it is not really like anyone reads or cares what I post... ( sad_)

Anyway working is a great way to learn because every time you meet a real life situation that needs to be solved with limited resources. Been an educational journey so far as an assistant and there will be more to come! Can't wait to try out shooting stuff from what I learnt... although it will be tough though... because i really lack equipment so I guess I got to do some problem solving of my own with my limited resources. a few things I surely need is a 105mm macro lens and most probably a Flash gun.

Interesting thing is that I learnt so much about equipment and stuff but only till now I realized that I haven't learnt much about the most key aspect of photography which is Light.... the Quality of Light and the way Light works to create texture or shiny in an image. So that is something I will surely be looking more into the next time I look at a photo or take a picture.

There are many things to learn... Anyhow I guess the biggest draw back is that I miss my free time and i seriously dun get anytime to work out... losing muscles by the day... =( why can't I lose the fats at my tummy instead, I want to keep my muscles! haha...

I really miss meeting my friends and spending quality time with some of them... and when I am free, everyone else is busy... WTH... FML... Things dun look that great on a few other things which I am very sad and disappointed about... But with Faith my Security shall be in the Lord and not in people.

Well Thank God for this tiring but hell lot more productive life I have now! Pray that You help me keep this open heart to learn and give me the wisdom to be a good assistant! Pray that there will be opportunity to be a blessing whether to my bosses or the clients or just the people I meet in my everyday life! In Jesus name I pray Amen!

Far away in the depth...

2011-09-04T12:00:00.000+08:00

Rain rain rain on my mind
I've got a secret life
Wipe wipe wipe it away
Nothing can make me dry

Fight all the while
Fight till I think I'm free
Fear reigns so we never see beautiful secret lives.

It could make you face all your fears
It could make you face all your fears

Oh, smile smile in the day
Fear takes its place at night
Oh, oh, pretty in the rain
I love your secret life

It could make you face all your fears
It could make you face all your fears

I could leave you well enough alone,
Believing you'd be overcome
and gone by grace away
Better off than if I stay

I could leave you walk away
We'll save it for another day
Through all the wars I've come to know
It's punches pulled, not towels thrown in.

When they come knocking on your heart's door,
Choose the one who loves you more.
And when you've found something to die for,
(Make you face all your fears)
They'll be knocking on your heart's door
(Make you face all your fears)
When they come knocking on your heart's door,
(Make you face all your fears)
Choose the one who loves you more.

Choose the one who loves you more...

Nightmare

2011-09-02T22:10:00.001+08:00

Such a strange dream... i was being targeted by a werewolf.... and it was damn scary... woke up with my heart beating really hard...

Recovery!

2011-08-30T23:47:00.000+08:00

Woah had a irritating fever that lasted a few days and in the midst of all that I had 3 shoots going on which made it worst! Thank God that even though I had a busy schedule, I still found time to get rest and Thank God this week schedule is a slow one... Although that means I earn less but it means more time for my body to fully recover from my illness.

Friday night I was feeling better already and helped Audrey at the flea... Didnt do much though.. just sat there and talked and be nice to customers. Was still having a slight fever though... didnt get to sell my tees that dun fit me though... sad.

Then Saturday was quite disappointing for me because I woke up feeling really weak all over... I was looking forward to my cell's party at the Barrage... In the end I slept the whole Sat away after eating my meds. Guess it was better to rest up.

Sunday I had an interior shoot for Val sister's salon! but another disappointment as her massage chairs weren't delivered on time. So it was cancelled! I was really looking forward to the shoot to apply the stuff I learnt from my boss and let him critic the photo to see where to improve!

Monday was an interesting day! Had a very fun and interesting product shoot at the studio! Learn some stuff about lighting and different quality of studio lights! Everyday I get to learn something new! super interesting to go to work! =D

Well thats about it ....

One sad news is that my ipod that has been with me for 5 years is finally giving in to its lifespan... everything works fine and stuff but after long hours of playing the music starts to skip and break up. The only way to resolve the problem is to restart the iPod... Anyway I am saving to get a Macbook Pro as soon as they upgrade it again end of this year or somewhere early next year. See if I should get a new ipod together...=D (although I use iPhone I prefer to have my whole library with me...)

2011-08-20T00:19:00.000+08:00

Just 4 days of working and I am kinda tired out.... Been learning alot this pass few days... Being an assistant, you really got to be thinking like the photographer to make sure everything is settled and adjusted even before the photographer says it.. Currently I m learning the ropes so I am still ok.. Got to get basic drills right and remember the type of lens and lightings I have with me... Well it is alot of work and I just realized I am a super noob in photography... I guess on job training is the best way to learn. Thank God for this chance and also thank God for closing the doors that wouldn't suit me... Because I got a call from another company but they never updated me... Haha! Oh well I am happier where I am anyway..

Well the bad thing about this job is of course the working hours and last min changes.. So I can't really plan my schedules ahead of time... Sad.. But shoots are in the day most of the time! So hoping my night will be free! I need to meet friends and sleep also.. It take one and a half hour to go to the studio and back... :( but oh well can't complaint! Quite happy working! Haha! Need to get some energy bars though... Not too seasoned to the job yet! Always feel hungry halfway through the shoot! So well hope I will improve mentally and physically need strength and to be alert at all times! Haha!

Well Jia you Jia you to myself! 화이팅! :)

New Career Journey

2011-08-14T14:36:00.000+08:00

I just applied for countless photographer assistant and Junior Photographer jobs and I got a reply from one of them. Went down for an interview yesterday... The interview was good.. Will have to get the admin details down soon and start work! super excited!

I pray that this will be a good job for me... although I foresee a lot less time for anything else. But sometimes u got to 放长线、钓大鱼... I got to start somewhere if I want to reach anywhere in life.

Everything at home seems better and everyone seems happier! my sis got some sort of Bonus and treated my brother and me to Bakerzin. She used her one for one voucher! This is the first time I ever felt full from just desserts.

Freeze Frame Photography!

2011-08-11T19:40:00.003+08:00

Just stumbled on this photo online! sooo cute!

Happy Birthday Mum!

2011-08-09T00:42:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Mum! I want to appreciate all the things you have done for me and for aways being the person who speaks wisdom in my life! I love you and I thank God for being your son!

Happy Birthday MUM!! LOVE YOU!

It was my Mum Birthday on 6th august. Celebrated with a Cake in the morning and we headed down to my cousin's wedding family gathering which just nice happened to be on my Mums Birthday! haha! free good Food~~!! =P
It was at Changi Sailing Club, just besides Aloha Chalet where my church camps are often held at! haha!
The food was awesome! I wish I had an extra stomach! If you didn't know I really LOVE eating meat in bread! LOL!
It was Awesome to catch up with my cousin but sadly my family is not close to my other relatives, so I did not know 80% of the people there and the saddest part was that I am the Youngest cousin there although I am already 23 -_-ll
Thank God for the good food! made all the awkward moments with aunties I never seen in many years worthwhile. LOL!

LOVE THIS!

YES I took Vegetables!

Got no idea what my sister was doing but since everyone was laughing shows that it wasn't that bad. LOL!

My pretty Mum!

REALLY REALLY thank God for my mother! She is the biggest blessing in my life! =)

The Depth of Speed Hypebeast

2011-08-06T11:24:00.000+08:00

This a Video I saw on Hypebeast. I love the way the video is done and Totally Love the cars...Old cars always has a certain character to it unlike the stuff churning out of factories these days... back in those days where people did things with passion and they really wanted to be different.

Back in time where design was more of creating something you find missing in the world and really want to voice it out... Something like this is just so diluted in our present day and everyone is just doing something according to what the client want... Although we all could go on a revolution but the bottom line is that we all got mouths to feed and have not much choice but to adapt to what the environment we live in wants.

Too bad in Singapore you cant get stuff like. When the country grows too fast and advances forward to something new, we lose track of the beauty found in the old things. I love how they mixed vintage cars but it has something modern found in it.

HBTV: Depth of Speed - Tale of Three Cars from HBTV on Vimeo.

Photobooth fun!

2011-08-04T18:10:00.000+08:00

Decided to upload a stupid video I took using photobooth! Enjoy!

New Hair Cut!

2011-08-03T21:48:00.000+08:00

Had my haircut at my usual salon called "The Hair Salon" at far east level 3. Well I wasn't overjoyed with my previous hairstyle so I decided to cut it even shorter. I do feel that i look better if i show more of my face and due to the way my hair grows, it is very difficult to have short fringe hairstyles... It just doesn't work...

Before

After!

Got quite good responses from my friends saying I look a lot better! I feel good too! But without my fringe, it does reveal my lousy skin care and pimples caused by putting wax on my fringe when it was longer. Oh well!

LAZY Sunday!

2011-07-31T19:43:00.000+08:00

Todays been a lazy Sunday for me. Went down to the library at Bukit Panjang Plaza to see if there were any new and good design books because I been really dulled in Army by doing nothing productive for 2 year. Come to think of it I have learnt very few things from army. I believe the most productive yet useless thing I have learnt unless I am dirt rich or very into sea exploration, is to handle a power boat.

The army powerboat is really amazing, it is called R.H.I.Bs. It is fast and has awesome handling and from what I know the one I am driving in Navy is a older model imagine the new and better ones! Other than that, I have played a variety of console games and drew a bunch of girls from magazines LOL! Thats about it for my 2 years in national service.

Back to the books at the library! Here they are! =D

Typography Today & 1000 Indie Posters

I borrowed these two books and was inspired by one of the project in Typography Today. I shall just execute the project with my own interpretation. However I do think the style is a little like images everyone tag and repost in Thumblr... But that should not stop me from trying out ideas... By experience, I have learnt that if I let that fact that I was inspired by the idea of another designer and refuse to try interpreting the idea in my own context, I will deny myself a chance to come upon something new which could be unique to my own view. So however simple, direct or shallow the idea of the project maybe, I shall also give it a go with "my own version" =)

The other thing is that I bought a new Pen! LOL! a Sakura Pigma Micron 0.5! LOL! yes it is just a drawing pen but I been using ZIG Memory System Millennium 0.5 for a while and it dried up recently! HAHA! Why did I just buy the Sakura pen instead of the Zig one? This is because Sakura at one point of time was not sold anywhere and it forced me to buy the ZIG brand pen. haha... well Glad that Popular bookshop has it now... sadly it is more expensive than before but come on... this is Singapore... everything is more expensive than yesterday.

Well been a Lazy Sunday for me! Super excited to get my stuff and work on my self project! PLUS I am going to Cut my hair tomorrow! Shall Blog about that Tomorrow!

First entry of the new Day!

2011-07-28T17:42:00.000+08:00

MY FIRST ENTRY!

Finally setup my website to start blogging and marketing myself as a designer.
Encouraged by my peers, teachers and family to pursue my dreams in Visual Arts, I decided to do graphic design! As you can see from my banner, I love graffiti to a certain extend and I am influences a lot by hip hop culture. Design to me is the core element that holds the whole world together today. Without Design nothing in the world would work. Good Design is the artistic way to solve a problem and Graphic Design to me is a means to solve a communication problem. This Blog is mainly my life and thoughts on different issues and purely my personal opinion on matters close to me. Life is Simple Do what you love and Love what you do!