Day 1

Name of outfit: Watermelon Street

Self-Rating:

Destination: Acting class

Notes: My acting teacher (a very cool female Australian director/ actor/ singer/ coach) said I should keep my hair off my face when performing, especially at auditions, because directors can’t cast you unless they can see your face.

Good point.

But you know how my hair is all limp and floppy and just flops all about my face unceremoniously?

I can’t stick it behind my ears because it’s too short and slippery.

I can’t pin my hair back because I’d look like a nerd.

So the solution: Braid the stupid fringe. And throw on an outfit that fits the funky ‘do!

(And then forget to turn on the camera flash so the picture looks really underexposed!)

Public Reaction #1: Did you just come from an audition? You look so Gothic.
Public Reaction #2: Wow. You look so… erm… erm… all sporty!
Public Reaction #3: CUTE CUTE!

Categories: Fashion Diary
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I have created a brand new category in my blog for the sole, encompassing purpose of cam whoring myself to lure more trolls to my blog!

How cool am I?!

(No, I’m kidding. Really. Trolls, keep away. You’re stupid enough already, so don’t make yourself look even more stupid by wasting your time trolling blogs you don’t even like. lol.)

Anyway, my fashion philosophy has taken a drastic turn these days.

In the past, I advocated subtle, understated beauty. I tried to dress to look like I wasn’t trying at all. I wore tame looking clothes from socially approved fashion outlets. My philosophy was: People won’t give me a second look because I’m just another girl next door, but when they do look at me, they won’t think I’m ugly and unfashionable. I want to look good but I also make sure I blend in safely.

Well, I’m sick and tired of that. (And also sick and tired of being oppressed by the need for approval and conformity, forced upon us by our oppressive society.)

I remember once people-watching outside a shopping mall and thinking to myself, “Singaporeans dress so tamely and unimaginatively.” Out of 100 people, I saw maybe one person wearing something bold and exciting. I looked at myself, eew-ed at my own tame dressing, and kind of resolved to dress more creatively the next time.

But the next time never happened because I was always afraid. Afraid to stand out, afraid of disapproving stares. Sometimes it was because I was just plain lazy to dress up. Why go through all the trouble when you can just slap on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and be out of the house in five minutes flat? And sometimes I just plain didn’t have money to buy clothes.

No more of that, though, because it’s annoying the hell out of me to be so conscious of public opinion. Maybe I’m going through a phase, but it’s a fun phase and I’m so totally going to be vain and not apologise for it. I’m tired of denying myself in order to please society.

Today, my philosophy is: I’m going to wear what I want to wear, dammit.

And you’ll get to see me push boundaries in my Fashion Diary as I go on more cheap shopping trips, keeping in mind that I push boundaries not for the sake of pushing boundaries, but purely for the sake of buying and wearing clothes that appeal to me.

Aren’t you so very excited?

Categories: Fashion Diary
13 Comments »

I am very well acquainted with this phrase: Trying too hard. I’ve had it used on me quite a bit by reporters, directors, fans and critics.

It’s a common enough phrase. Even I have used it on other people. People who “try too hard” come across as irritating and fake and you just want to slap them and tell them to just be themselves.

But have you ever considered it from another perspective?

What is so wrong with “trying too hard”? Doesn’t everyone preach the maxim: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”? Everyone knows that there’s virtue in trying. Your parents, if they’re good parents, should have instilled that lesson into you since you were a kid. You’ve read stories about people who fail and fail but they eventually succeed because they never gave up.

So what is this nonsense about trying too hard? Can one try too hard?

If your child is slow and keeps getting lousy grades and one day decides that she’s sick of it and wants to spend six hours a day after school to just study and study so she can get better grades, will you scold her for “trying too hard”? Will you tell her, “Relax, my dear. All your classmates only study two hours a day and get good marks. You should be like them. Don’t try too hard and you’ll pass with flying colours.”?

Would you say that?

I don’t think so.

If you have an actress who is not naturally good at acting, so she puts a lot of effot into improving and works hard every way she can to find success, should you say to her, “Relax. Don’t try so hard. If it’s yours, it’s yours. Just be yourself and success will come to you.”?

I don’t think life happens that way. Not everyone is born a natural. Some people have to try harder than others to achieve the same level of success. You shouldn’t give up just because you weren’t born smart, or pretty, or fast, or talented. You find ways to make up for that lack.

Don’t you admire people who laugh at failure in the face and just keep on trying? So how in the world is it possible for anyone to “try too hard”?

Isn’t it a much greater crime not to try at all?

Sometimes, people can be so blind and stupid.

Categories: Acting Journal
20 Comments »

Advertorial

I can’t remember the last time I truly lusted over something so bad that life is meaningless if I can’t have it. Not even the Wii. Sure, I wanted a Wii, but it was fine if I couldn’t have one. I still had EQ2.

But this…. THIS!

I am currently dying to own THIS:

It’s this sensor thing you put in special Nike shoes which sends data to your iPod nano while you run. Later, your iPod nano will tell you how far you’ve run and how many calories you’ve burnt and all sorts of cool stuff. OMG I’m dying here can?

Thanks to the big red Nike ad in my blog (which my itchy fingers had to go click on), I’m going to have sleepless nights dreaming about this thing I can’t afford. High tech Nike shoes AND an iPod nano.

I am supremely jealous of Daniel Ong and Carrie Chong because they’re endorsing this latest Nike campaign and I bet they get it all free.

Actually, jealousy aside, the campaign is very interesting. Using this new Nike+ thing, Daniel and Carrie have a competition to run the most miles in May. Read about it here.

I wish I could sign up and support one of them (I’d probably support Daniel because he’s in a sad state even though he’s slightly leading. His team only clocked 546km as of now, as opposed to Carrie’s team’s 1763km. Hahahaha. Damn funny, though) but I can’t sign up because I don’t have the gear to clock my runs. Sorry Daniel, can’t help you. Which is just as well because you’re a bit obnoxious in that video. Hahaha.

Anyway, Nanny Wen and I have been jogging regularly for almost three months now. We try to jog four days a week for one hour each time, but due to schedule clashes and stuff, we mostly end up doing it only two or three times a week.

Jog until shoe spoil. Super dirty also.

Sad.

Coincidentally, just a week ago, I was telling the Goonfather that I needed a new pair of Nikes. And an iPod. Because sometimes Nanny Wen and I run out of stuff to talk about during our runs and listening to music will help motivate us to run further.

But that was just talk. I didn’t think I would buy them because I don’t have a budget for such luxuries. See, I don’t even have a budget for proper running clothes.

I wear home t-shirts and shorts for jogging.

Nanny Wen is better off. She’s wearing a Nike t-shirt and army running shorts. I’m wearing a $5 Kenny t-shirt from Hong Kong and $5 shorts from some factory outlet in KL.

Incidentally, I buy most of my stuff overseas because I can’t afford anything in Singapore. Hahaha.

Anyway, I don’t care about running clothes. Hardly anybody sees me in them anyway, only faceless strangers.

But, right now, all I want is the Nike+ gear because that will so enhance my jogging experience.

Funny that I just found out today that Nike has this cool technology that combines the very two things I was thinking (dreaming) of buying just a week ago. I have no idea how much the high tech shoes and an iPod nano cost but I bet it’s gonna be like $500. OMG. Can die.

The funniest thing is that I’ve never EVER wanted an iPod or Zen or anything like that, not even tempted when I can get them for free like by signing up with StarHub or something. And then, last week, because of a particularly boring and tedious jog, I realised that having an iPod would be nice and kinda considered getting one.

This coincidence makes me feel like I’m meant to have this thing, you know? So now I’m waiting for money to drop from the sky for me. Haha.

The Goonfather says I’m stupid and this Nike+ thing is just a gimmick and I should just go buy a cheapo $30 MP3 player, instead. But the Goonfather doesn’t even exercise so he knows shit. Well, actually he does. He washes his car like twice a month. And maybe he plays a bit of Wii.

Hahaha. Big deal.

You know what would be a great thing to do? When you come home after a jog all sweaty and gross, go hug someone you love.

Hahaha. And then threaten to do that four times a week unless they buy you that Nike+ gear.

Bwahahaaha!

Nah, don’t think that will work on the Goonfather so I’m just gonna go to bed and stare at the ceiling and hope that money will fall through it. LOL.

Categories: Regular Blogs
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I was wondering how many people noticed the Nuffnang ad on my right sidebar when I first put it up a couple weeks ago. It was then a small blue ad like this:

It totally fits the colour theme of my blog so I thought it would blend in so nicely that some people might not even notice it.

But it seems like the ad has now turned into a big red Nike ad, so I think it’s time to say something.

I have till now been iffy about putting ads on my blog because I don’t want to mess up my blog’s clean design. But I discovered Nuffnang, a new blog advertising community that just set up office in Singapore. And I felt compelled to sign up because:

1. The founders seem like fun and creative people and I like supporting fun, creative people. [Read their story here…]
2. Their logo is cute and their corporate colour is my favourite colour.
3. Nuffnang has a community element and organises events for members and I’m just a sucker for fun events.
4. I could even earn some money while being a part of this fun thing just by giving up a tiny portion of my blog space for ads.
5. Having more money would help because then I won’t have to temp so much to support myself and I would be able to spend more time blogging! (Ok, I totally have no delusions of earning heaps from this but every little cent counts lah.)
6. The Nuffnang ad was cute and funny and I didn’t mind having it on my blog.
7. The ads that will be served hereafter will be local ads to appeal to local readers, which I think is exciting.

So please support me by not minding the ads on my blog. I think Nike being the first advertiser is so cool, even though the ad colour doesn’t go with my blog, because I love Nike stuff.

Which reminds me… my poor Nike shoes are breaking apart (soles coming off) and I need a new pair for my jogging sessions with Nanny Wen. Arghh… I wonder how long it will take for me to earn enough money from Nuffnang to buy a new pair?

Categories: Regular Blogs
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