A Fashionable Friday

Every since beginning our careers as members of the corporate/commercial world, my friends and I have not been able to reunite for a Freaky Fashion Friday, as we used to do whilst in the last term of our SMU lives (ah, so very long ago).

Yet this Friday, we managed a reunion at the Manicurious launch party, which was a busy, busy, super busy and warm and humid, boozy affair, filled with what seemed like Singapore's coolest and most fashionable crowd. Intimidated by the overpowering coolness, we hung out at / slunked away to one inconspicuous corner. We were lucky enough to get our nails done (free express manicures and nail stickers by Manicurious x Nooka were being doled out, thanks to the generosity of the Manicurious folks).


We also hung out in the corner because it was least populated, and therefore, the coolest (temperature-wise) place to be. As Singaporeans, we have all acquired this essential survival skill- locating and occupying the least humid/hot area in any location.

We came, we documented what we wore, and enjoyed some cheap thrill at having in some form or the other, flouted or bend the rules of corporate attire.


For the girl-in-blue, it was her metallic accessories and bright blue top.


For the girl-in-pink, her vintage-infused ribbon belt and tweed.


For the girl-in-mint, wearing *gasp* shorts on a weekday.


For the girl-in-black, those mad architectural wooden wedges.


You can find Manicurious at: 41 Beach Road Singapore 189680

Creative Crowdsourcing: CANOPY, A Feature Film

I was happily surfing my Facebook newsfeed, laughing at the usual 9GAG updates and whiling my Sunday afternoon away.

Then, I stumbled across a friend's Facebook post on Canopy, a feature film by Aaron Wilson and Katrina Fleming, who were engaging in a little crowdsourcing funding. I was intrigued. I clicked and I watched the trailer. 

The film revolves around an Australian soldier's (Jim) experience in the jungles of Singapore, just as the Japanese invade our tiny island in 1942. He is joined by a Singaporean-Chinese resistance fighter as they struggle for survival and try their best to avoid capture by Japanese soldiers.

Shot in Singapore (duh), and inspired by the common themes and collective experiences as retold by WW2 veterans and survivors, the team behind Canopy has turned to crowdsourcing to raise funding for the final steps in their production process:

• 1. Creating the musical score

• 2. Final sound design and mix

• 3. Outputting the film into the digital files to prepare for cinemas and festivals

• 4. Launching our film at international film festivals, especially those where our films have previously screened and with whom we have existing relationships.

Take a hop down to Canopy's fundraising page and check out the trailer, and decide for yourself if you'd like to donate. The minimum donation is A$1 (which is about SGD1.26, according to xe.com), and depending on how much you donate, you might enjoy certain perks. 

I chose to donate A$5 because I am genuinely interested to see how this film pans out on screen, and because I'm tickled by their creative crowd-sourcing attempt. The option for a A$1 donation also helped- I like that they had that option which allows people who are interested in supporting (though not necessarily able to support) to at least put in their..erm..dollars worth.  

IT'S PERSONAL

My friends tell me they want to or are going to Lady Gaga with great excitement.

I just always give them the same look. It's the one that says you'd have to pay me to go for her concert, and the money I'd get from that would go to watching either one of these stellar performances. No offence, just personal preference.

Because it's Chris Cornell, covering Billie Jean in a total rock, sexy, seduce-in-a-smoky-bar way.

Because it's Snoop, Dre, Eminem, and a holographic Tupac. Also because it's extra hilarious to watch Snoop entertain while he's high-as-fuck. 

SUNSHINE AFTER THE RAIN

So after an absolute style & retail therapy drought for WEEKS, there is sunshine after the rain...Wait, that's moronically ironic, isn't it?

In any case, I ashamedly admit to trolling the pages of ASOS, Urban Outfitters and J. Crew in search of things to buy and add to my 'it's for Spring' for many-a-weeks, to no avail.

And then, as with most things in life (things happen / fall in place when you least expect them to), bam! I picked up a killer fab amazing necklace at the Robe Raiders event.  The statement piece (don't you just LOVE that pink and gold combination?!) is by Hanna Lee. I then swooped up a preppy chic mint tweet skirt from Zara, and rounded off the trinity with a fitted pair of shorts from BYSI (with floral prints)!

I'm set for Spring, I say. Except...maybe a pair of shoes? (Still contemplating that as I, on one hand, feel like I've spent far too much already).

I shall shut up now and just post an outfit backlog.

Wearing Zara blazer, Topshop tank top, By Invite Only necklace, BYSI floral shots, vintage belt, ASOS desert boots. 

Meanwhile, the heat is just suffocating me. 

Tiong Bahru, The Film

I've always had a soft spot for good ol' Tiong Bahru. How can you not? Though now populated with cool as cucumber cafes and stores like nana & bird, Tiong Bahru first and foremost foodie hotspot was always its hawker centre. Still is, some might argue.

How apt that 'Tiong Bahru', the film, tracking the paths and thoughts of three Tiong Bahru's residents should be set here, where these characters probably would have spent a good proportion of their lives and memories.

The gem of the cast is Grandma (aka Ah-ma,‘阿嬤’), at least to me. Maybe it's because she reminds me of my own granny who passed away last year. The weathered expression on her face, similar to my own grandmother's- seemingly neutral, yet seemingly weary, seeming to hide stories and secrets of a life so different from mine.

Sometimes I wonder what those eyes have seen and what it would have been like to have seen what she had as a young daughter of a towkay (businessman) who was too cool for school. Other times, I remember that those same eyes have seen war and the hardship of raising a troop of 8 kids as a poorly educated single mother whose husband was murdered in their kampung home. My father, a child then, and his brothers apparently discovered the body and saw the murderer flee the crime scene. They tried to give chase but couldn't keep up. My life is so vapidly uninteresting, compared to theirs.

Ah, life. In any case, I am rambling. Watch the film, it's good.

To find out more about the film, its artists and the concept behind it all, please visit Civic Life Tiong Bahru.

OLDIES CAN BE GOODIES

It's been a while since I documented what I wore.  So, here goes. I uncovered this old pink cardigan that I had bought pre-University. That's right, it's about 5-6 years old but still fits so well. I had forgotten that the bright shade of look-at-me-pink was actually quite a gem.

In honour of Spring arriving, I threw it on my old Forever 21 dress and paired it with my desert boots from ASOS.

I think my nail colour is Hot & Spicy from OPI. I'm really pleased that my manicure has lasted 90% in-tact over the last week. I also really like my Bobbi Brown lipstick- the shade is Sweet Nectar.

Things I am not so glad about- this work week has been a trying, trying, trying time, with no clear resolution in sight yet. The prospect of what's to come depresses me despite my best attempts at cheering myself up. If this was Twitter, there would be a hashtag called Life, which would sum everything up.

BALI, ON FILM

So last year, my friends got me a film camera for a birthday gift. It came with one roll of film which, unfortunately, due to my laziness, stayed entrapped in that camera for almost a year.

I snapped some shots on my Bali trip, and they actually turned out pretty well. Here are some of favourites:

Words aren't necessary when you have images like these.