Impresario Finals

I was one of the judges at the Impresario Semi-finals,
and the contestants were EXCELLENT.
i enjoyed the process tremendously :)

I would say,
most people can make a good judge.

After all, we sit in the comforts of our own home,
my sister and I,
shooting biased, judgemental, cruel comments across the sofa
at American Idol-esque shows,
and also professing sincere declarations of love and admiration for those who shine.

There are some people, who simply win the world over.
It's not that hard to judge that.


I hate to be a judge though.
or even, to JUDGE anyone according to any fixed standard.
Everyone has so much potential.
Many times, someone is ousted from a competition simply because some little thing went wrong in the situation
- they chose the wrong song
- they were a little too nervous
- someone else was a little better


Singing, performing, is more a style,
about finding a comfortable niche that suits you best,
and to be so confident in your own skin that you make everyone love you and your performance.



So what if you don't win?


I'm speaking for myself. Hurhur.
I never won any solo singing competitions.

But that doesn't mean you can't work hard at trying to win over the world.





Check here for more details on the Grand Finals this Saturday :)






it was a warm afternoon and i happily dressed for the occasion :)

i miss touring.

no tours this month.

been busy with album.

i miss touring!!!


good editing always sends chills down my spine.

25 things.

i caved in, it seems like everyone cool is doing it, and i want to be cool.


1. i am a relentless, self-persecuting perfectionist. i do think it borders on destruction and a perpetuates a general disdain on mediocrity.

2. i can't cook, and have no interest in learning.

3. i swing from loving matte black nissan skylines, to having a baby pink laptop with a TwinStars puffy sticker on it.

4. i like robitussin honey cough drops (the one with liquid honey centre!) but can't seem to find it conveniently :S

5. i am a bad storyteller (i think).
everytime someone asks “So, tell me! What interesting/memorable/funny stories do you have from touring for 3 years with DT/Amei/JJ/Leehom?” and my mind is a blank.

i can answer questions like “So, what are they like?” but I don’t have a good story, sorry folks.

6. i spend an insane amount of time online.
many times i'm happier staying home exploring new things than hanging out with people.

7. i suck at keeping friends.

8. i don't enjoy the taste of alcohol, i'm boring when i'm drunk.
i just become gentler (i think).

9. i like living life like in movies.
sometimes i don't know what to do with the boring bits of my life which are not showed in movies.


10. i’m taking this very seriously –notice how I’ve tried to be VERY random.

11. I hate to sms. i find it an obtrusion to whatever I’m trying to do. I often ignore it, sometimes I look at it, and if it’s not urgent, I reply only when i’m in the cab/waiting for something. Urgent smses are usually quotations, where are you?s, etc. Smses requiring me to say , “wait let me check and get back to you” are usually ignored till I check and after which I reply with the requested answer. Which explains… no. 7. So… sorry guys!!!

12. dettol instant hand sanitiser is great for travelling.

13. I’ve never had a pedicure.

14. I am NOT A FAN of horror movies. I make it a point to keep scary images out of my head and prefer to wear a smile on my face.

15. I love the smell of Neutrogena rainbath, and the Palmolive one in purple.

16. I struggle very hard to keep the balance between my business brain, and my artistic core.

17. I DO NOT like soft toys. small ones are okay, I have some, but some is enough.
When I receive random gifts of such, my OS just goes “OH. MY. GOD.”

18. i’m not a gadget freak.

19. Lately, I have had little interest nor motivation in shopping. Too many consumer goods, too little meaning. Too much waste. Especially when I shop at wholesale outlets, the thousands of ugly bags, horrible looking clothes and jeans etc scare me. Where are all these products going to end up?? What about all those dying kids in 3rd world countries who need them?? Resource allocation is seriously misaligned.

20. I was inspired by www.storyofstuff.com . It’s a 20 minute video, but watch it.

21. when I was young, the Buddhist doctrine of “Do not let your possessions possess you” stuck in my head. I was never the kind to mourn the scratch on my phone/watch/laptop/car.

22. I wear my emotions on my face.

23. I play the erhu, piano, guitar, violin. In order of excellence.

24. I believe in karma.

25. I’m now working on my EP (potentially 6 track), aiming to release by July. I hope you'd be curious enough to take a listen. :D

Store Bought Love!

look ma i'm on tv!
with a chicken on my head!


i'm involved in a final year project for a group of Film Sound Video students from Ngee Ann Poly,
a musical called Store Bought Love!


it's been a while since we ended our shoot though... i miss them!


i'm the female lead Jamie, with Benjamin as my love interest Ah Mann!
here with director Chin Hwee who wrote the script :)
check out Chin Hwee's looong eyelashes...


with Catherine as Mdm Bao...
she is soo funny and bubbly to be around!


at the scene of crime... Meidi Ya supermarket!
Ah Mann the nerd with fruits sprouting out of his head, has a thing for Chicken Girl!


Chicken Girl can look cool too


with Gillian the cashier


alot of daydreaming on set


and phone calls while waiting... :p


Ah Mann and I sing a duet as the finale song of the musical - pretty cool!

More pictures soon! :)

missing something?

i think this is what love is about.

on 1003fm tonight :)

Tune in to 1003fm tonight
from 10pm-12am
as we talk about Impresario :)

Semi-finals happening this Sunday from 130pm,
at Junction 8.

I talk about my experiences as a contestant in Impresario years back,
about Ishi,
and the song I wrote for him.

I even played and sang my Ishi song live -
I wasn't prepared so it didn't turn out very well though...


Life goes on...
Onwards!


thanks to DJ Ken!
and the Committee of Impresario 2009

Her Morning Elegance - Oren Lavie

The magnificent success of this viral music video makes me unthinkably happy.


I have always marvelled at simple, but well-executed ideas,
that captures the hearts of millions, across the globe, across all boundaries.

I languished in the sweet, clever and endearing stop motion pictures,
and it was only a day or 2 later that I decided to hear more of Oren Lavie.

I love every song on his MySpace,
especially The Opposite Side of the Sea
(whose strings remind me fondly of a great song: Stem by Shiina Ringo)

And then I ventured further,
and naturally fell in love with the simplicity of his website.

How his personality shone through, in the way he writes,
in the creative choices of his website design,
all added up together,
that magnetised his entire product - his music and art,
that makes me want to spread the word about him,
declare my love for his video and music.




I have been cooping up at home and
making intensive creative decisions about my album layout/design.

I want the entire product (music,album, website, photos) to be
simple,
yet striking.
It is an ideal that I struggle very hard to keep coherent,


I keep thinking if I should sign on to a label, or do it myself.
I can't seem to decide, and I seem to incline towards DIY,
where I can have full control over what I want.

There are pros and cons on each side of the coin,
and the sheer complexity of trying to foretell unknowns...
makes me want to slink back to concentrate on working on my product instead.

I don't deny that I need, and even crave guidance at some points,
and I will ask, definitely.
I will ask around for directions.

I'm not trying to be a maverick in my singer-songwriter career,
I am trying to see what best fits in this grand scheme of things....
that is called
MY
LIFE
.







Thanks to Rey for sharing good finds :)

Impresario Semi-Finals this Sunday :)

Impresario 2009 Semi-Finals
@ Junction 8, Top-of-the-8
130pm-6pm
8 Feb, Sunday
Admission is free!

Watch the vocal, dance and original composition contestants battle it out at Junction 8, Top-of-the-8 for a place in Impresario 2009 Grand Finals!

Be prepared for an afternoon of enthralling performances –
with our Vocal Solo/Group semi-finalists’ renditions of popular English and Mandarin songs,
as well as energetic and groovy street dances by our 7 semi-finalists Dance groups.
You will also get to meet the budding composers of our Original Composition Category!

In addition, the Semi-Finals will include special performances
by Impresario Ambassador Tay Kewei
and Singapore’s own singer and songwriter Mr. YET葉敦鴻.

For more information, do visit http://www.cacimpresario.com/About-Impresario/Semi-Finals/