Have A Squeaking Good Time
I am not exactly a huge fan of gaming. Don’t get me wrong, I love to know all about the latest games around and tries to keep up with the trend. BUT I have been quite a sore loser since young at games..trust me, you wouldn’t want to play games with me because I’ll either throw a tantrum if I lose or can’t complete the game. 
I think my horrible tantrum has improved ever since polytechnic days, where the boys would spend hours gaming on their laptops. Our gatherings and chalets were more like gaming nights where everyone sits around to watch ONE person playing the xbox/psp3. Sounds silly ? It was the best time ever spent with the poly clique, screaming and scaring eachother while trying to snap a picture of those zombies/ghosts in “Silent Hill”.
Personally I’ll prefer to play “brainless” flash games that you can find on Facebook apps or websites. The latest craze gotta be “Jam Legend“. It is somewhat like the flash version of guitar hero and I like how it features new/undiscovered artistes as you can upload your own songs for the game. (I love indie music by the way)
Lately I have been playing with my Ipod Touch alot, my main usage is probably to connect WIFI, check mails and play those free game apps that you can download from the itunes store. I am really addicted to this game called “Catcha Mouse“. The game is pretty simple – the objective is to prevent the mouse from escaping through the holes by placing mouse traps around. Not as easy as it seems to be because it’s challenging when the mouse is pretty clever. Then again, it’s all calculated moves..so just see if you can outwit the one who designed the game ? 
I’m stuck at level 14 of “Hard”, cleared both Easy and Medium (yay!)
I NEED/want to complete the game ! *stubborn* 
It is indeed rare for Ingrid to be obessed over a game, especially one that requires thinking. HAHA!
Social Media Breakfast 6 (SMB6)
It’s been awhile since I’ve last updated the blog, been tied down by school work (last 2 weeks of the ter, yay!) 
There’s just so much to blog about (HBO True Blood event, my overdue blip.fm review, SMUBE Campus Radio etc), so do keep checking the blog in the next few weeks to come !
Anyways, attended my “virgin” Social Media Breakfast (SMB) yesterday night and boy, I’m glad I took the time off from work to.
SMB6 was held at Island Cafe, Tangs at 7pm in conjunction with Tangs virtual launch of its SecondLife store and Earth Hour. (That probably explained why it was not a “Breakfast” but a really late one instead 
)
Being my first SMB experience, I was looking forward to meet new people and mingle around. (which of course I did)
Seeing familiar faces from Plurk was great because I can’t exactly call myself a Social Media Junkie or a Blogger per se , was feeling rather “extra” in that sense.
As for the consumer panel, I will not go into details of what the discussion had to say as you can read Dorothy‘s live-blogging action here.
Just a few words on the event itself as a participant of the night
1) Venue and Technical Glitches – I guess the SMB team is unable to do much about such constraints, the venue was indeed alil small for such a crowd (I’m guessing at least 80-100 people turned up?!) but I felt it was rather cozy and a smaller area tends to bring people together easily (like you have no choice but to mingle around..haha) It was quite disappointing that the venue caused another problem which I’ll mention next.
The audio system was rather flop right from the start, but such technical glitches are not to be blamed ? Coming from SMU Broadcast & Entertainment, I know best that such problems are the last thing an organizer would have wished for, especially after soundcheck etc…but there’re really nothing much to be done during the event itself if sh*t happens. I guess the team will probably learn from the “mistake”. 
2) Type, Not Chat- I understand that alot of people were there to network/mingle around, but I feel that it’s only basic courtesy to respect the panel and listen to what they have to say. Like hello, there ARE people who are straining their ears and trying to catch up on the conversation betwee n the panel. Ok, maybe the audio/venue problem has a part to play but I was rather annoyed by the fact that it IS already difficult to listen to the discussion and people are chattering away at the back. I’m not saying that it’s bad (ok,quite rude actually) to talk or comment here and there but be alil more considerate ? If you are there to catch up with a friend, kindly do it outside. Maybe SMB should have this “no talking,just typing” rule in the future. haha 
Of course, I understand that people were late and pretty much jammed outside the main discussion area, but bear in mind that it IS rather small, and people don’t exactly “whisper”.
3) “Social Media…what ?” – I was quite amused by the fact that those sitting down were whipping out their netbooks and 3G/WIFI devices during the event. But it was rather sad to see the discussion(s) were not exactly about the consumer panel. I was probably one of the few who tried to twitter away during the event, mainly to keep track of the discussion and make notes. Plurk was as usual a more “informal” topic starter with the usual plurkers plurking about random things. I thought the SMB participants could have been more involved via these platform if you’re like some “introvert” or too shy to speak up during the panel discussion. In fact, I was quite surprised that not many people were involved with the panel discussion or twittering questions/comments regarding the topics. In the end, I find that Plurk and Twitter have become a feedback outlet for the SMB team instead, with people commenting or complaining on the venue/sound etc.
4) Cheep Cheap Cheep,Free ! – Is this a Singaporean (bad) habit/trend ? Are people turning up for events just for the free food/drinks ? I overheard someone going “wah..so fast no more drinks already..yadda yadda” and I’m quite sure I didn’t see him/her was not very active (or rather,not even there) during the panel. What’s an event without food you say ? Sure, food can still be provided but at your own expense. “How can like that !” So does that mean you are NOT coming for the event IF you were to pay for your own meal ? I do think that less(er) people will turn up because of this change if the team decides to take away the “free meal”. But hey, I’m sure you guys out there are really turning up for the content and not the free meal right ?
5) Discussion Topic (s) – Perhaps because it’s a consumer panel, I felt like I didn’t “learn” much about Social Media/Marketing but I could relate to them as a whole. I understand that SMB acts more like a “beginner/introduction” to Social Media but I think some of the participants were looking for more in-depth discussions. Perhaps a closed-event would encourage that. But having an invite-only event also defeats the purpose of “introducing” Social Media to more people out there and engaging them. I guess the SMB team will have to consider alot of factors to see how the next SMB can cater to both groups. 
6) Tangs Virtual Launch – I was quite “lost” during this segment because 1) I didn’t bring my specs (haha) – it was too far away and the screen was kinda tiny. 2) Maybe a live Demo and hands-on will be more interactive 3) Explain why Tangs decide to use SecondLife which doesn’t seem to be a very popular platform for Singaporeans ? (correct me if I’m wrong, because I’m not a SecondLife fan)
7) Earth Hour – “errrr…so what do we do now ?”, “lights off ! yay!” was my reactions before/during the lights off period. I was expecting more but I guess with people streaming out of the room, the “atmosphere” was kinda dampen. It was still rather interesting to talk to people in the dark (that explains why I’ll probably NOT recognize/remember the ones I’ve met..haha..excuses)
These are just some personal thoughts on SMB6. I’ve enjoyed myself a great deal and great to meet some of you out there (do leave a comment/drop me an email at ingridmak (AT) gmail [dot] com if you happened to be one of them!). I’m looking forward to SMB7 already.
You can read Daryl‘s personal comment on SMB6 here as well. I think some of my concerns were explained/reflected in his post.
P.S: I figured that I need some grammar/spellcheck plugin (haha), too lazy to edit. Sorry ! Not many photos taken either, too dim for my N82..anyone wanna sponsor me a proper DSLR ? =P
Giselle loves the tote from Tangs by the way, it brings out the “little aunty” in her. HAHA
and don’t ask what’s with the 3G “joke”…it’s MORNING and i have 4 more reports to complete 
Movie Buzz : Fanboys
Caught the media preview screening of “Fanboys” today ! Courtesy of Golden Village ! 
This comedy starring Jay Baruchel (Windows) , Dan Fogler (Hutch) , Sam Huntington (Eric) ,Chris Marquette (Linus) , and the eversocute Kristen Bell (Zoe) is quite worth watching IF you’re a diehard Star Wars fan. The story follows this bunch of Star Wars (duh) fans on a roadtrip (or rather, a quest) to break into George Lucas‘s Skywalker Ranch to watch STAR WARS: EPISODE 1- THE PHANTOM MENACE before it is released.
Initially I was quite skeptical about the movie because I am not exactly the biggest Star Wars fan you can find. It looked like a silly movie paraody (like Scary Movie ?) And being a girl, the next thing I noticed was..the boys get to check out Kristen Bell but other than that, there isn’t any eyecandy in the film at all ! So I was expecting myself to leave the cinema halfway through this (already rather short) 90 minutes film. 
But I was wrong, its sheer geeky-ness and goofiness has grown on me as these “Star Wars” fanatics began on their “quest”. I had quite a good laugh over some of the jokes, although some proves that you gotta be a Star Wars fan to understand. One of the more amusing sub-plots deals with the Trekkies (Star Trek), and how intensely the Star Wars enthusiasts hate them. Very hiliarious if you dislike Star Trek as much as I do. Engaging performance from Dan Fogler (Hutch), gotta be my favourite character in the movie. Jay Baruchel (Windows) played his role pretty convincingly as well, totally adorable geek. Enough about the boys you say ? Kristen Bell is probably fanboys’ dream come true in this male driven plot, who can resist a girl who loves comics,bond and Star Wars ? Her short black hair looks rather sexy on her to be honest, even I thought she looks pretty hot.
Watching how extreme fans can be is entertaining, it makes it a blast to watch if you like/love Star Wars too. Quite a few subtle (but witty) jokes here and there to complete the weak plot. Probably won’t catch it if you’re not used to the geek/nerd lingo, so brush up on them before you watch the movie. I would say this movie is a tribute to the friendship of all geeky fans out there rather than a marketing niche, celebration of the fandom ! 
Speaking of which, I thought GV (or the marketing team) did a good job in bringing the “stormtroopers” to the preview. You should have seen the crowd gathering outside the hall,waiting to take a photo with them ! (They were really friendly stormtroopers by the way, offered to take a picture with me in the shot…but nahhsss) I wanna get one of these costumes too ! 
Oh, the sound effects were pretty awesome. Could have been an audio project altogether. Love the song by Spacehog “In the Meantime“. 
I wouldn’t recommend everyone to watch the movie since you should have at least basic Star Wars/Star Trek knowledge in order to understand the jokes. But if you’re a Sci-Fi fan and enjoy the geeky goofy things in life, do catch it ! It’s opening on 26th March. 
P.S : I thought I saw the words on the van changed color at one of the scenes (I think it was outside the supermart), I swear it was white instead of the red that was for the rest of the show. Continuity error ? Do let me know after you guys catch the movie ! (hur hur)
Thinking Aloud : Gen Y
So after the post on how I believe Design should affect real social changes, I believe that blogging should too.
Although I’m still relatively a “fresh blogger” (and definitely not the most interesting one around), I see blogging as a platform to give voices to those who don’t have any but dying to be heard. Blogging (or writing) is a form to release, a way to make us feel better. But if technology (I’m thinking of social media here) allows, with the resources – why can’t we create real changes and raise awareness ? It’s time for us to get involved. 
The question is “Do we care enough?”. Gen Y have always been labeled as too”self-absorbed” or plain “whiny” or the “Gen-WE/Gen-Me“. I guess to a certain extent it’s true, what we blog about is ourselves,our lives, our everyday happenings etc. I (sadly) probably belong to the same category. We sometimes forget that blogging is really more than just ourselves alone. People from the various generation may have valuable perspectives but they are usually different from THE generation itself. 
For instance, I’m pretty sure the analysis of Gen Y-ers (interesting factsheet on Gen Y) may not be entirely true/inaccurate. So why not let others understand us better via real action instead of just whining about how others view us as ? It may be difficult for us to define ourselves when we’re on the inside but the least we can do is educate,discuss,share ideas, and create changes. I believe that if you write well enough, people do listen.
So to end things off, here’s a bunch of Gen Y-ers who produced a podcast “GennY” (pronounced as Jenny) from the Singaporean Gen Y’s point of view.
I do believe that it just takes alil effort to make ourselves heard (and known, instead of misconceptions of us), so yays to the team behind this. Looking forward to the next podcast (not being biased here), personally I think it’ll be interesting to discuss more on workplace relationships and (maybe) family topics.
Maybe I should start a dseign project on something too. (Haha)
Design Ignites Change : Greater Than 60
Worldstudio launched a new project “Design Ignites Change” which is a self-guided mentoring programme for high school/college students to produce creative works that address to the theme of fostering positive social change. (Click on the screencap to find them on Facebook)
Since they are teaming up with Adobe Youth Voices, I think it will be a really good breakthrough learning experience for the students using interactive media tools. 1) It allows students to showcase their talent on a open platform. 2) The projects are meaningful and more visible and beneficial. 3) There are more public/professional’s input. 4) The works are recognized based on the designer’s ideas and not client’s. 5) Potential job opportunities open up for these students.
Although “Design Ignites Change” is not a local project, we do have something similar here in Singapore. >60 Design Centre (read as Greater Than 60) is probably the first local design project that promotes positive social change. It targets the ageing population here in Singapore and encourages young designers (mainly those who are pursuing their diplomas in Temasek Design School,TDS) to provide design ideas and solutions to meet the needs. It is also the Singapore’s National Design Centre for Ageing. (click here to view facebook group – When Silver Turns to Gold)
I participated in one of the project ” A Generation of Ideas” while I was still in TDS, we submitted 3 design proposals each which address the needs of the elderly and we students generated 824 designs altogether. Of course, only 101 ideas were featured in the book (sadly not mine,haha) . Let me know if any of you are interested to take a look ! 
Being a TDS graduate and current Social Sciences student, I think such projects should gain more publicity and support from the public. Afterall, these projects are beneficial to the society and most of them are non-profit making. It is not easy to make a living in the creative industry, not to mention in Singapore. But I feel that to be a good designer, it doesn’t require alot of award-winning ideas but sometimes all it takes to make a difference, is to value-add your designs and contribute back to the society. It applies to everyone – money and value, which would you choose ?
Movie Buzz : Marley & Me
The boyfriend and I caught “Marley & Me” today. Based on John Grogan‘s best-selling book, this film is definitely a must-watch for all dog lovers. 
(although I have yet to read the book)
((potential spoilers alert))
It chronicles the relationship of John (Owen Wilson) and Jen (Jennifer Aniston), the newly-wed couple who decided to settle down and start a family of their own…and it all began with a really cute Labrador , Marley. Basically Marley is this “world’s worst dog” who chews through wall, gets kicked out from obedience school and gets turned on by legs. But throughout it all, dog is always a man’s best friend and the film portrays that fact quite perfectly.
The set was gorgeous with perfect lighting and the cinematography was not too bad for a family film. I thought Owen Wilson played his role pretty well, the comedic persona with a tinge of SNAG (sentsitive new age guy) feel. Jennifer Aniston is (as usual) gorgeous and a total natural at playing the damsel in distress. I thought the boss (Alan Arkin) was quite an outstanding character with his witty lines too. Of course the main lead goes to Marley the dog who totally worthed all the cooing and cracking up over his silly actions. 
I liked how the story flows like a diary and makes audience feel as though they are part of the character’s lives. I was quite emotionally “attached” to Marley by the end of the film and I was sobbing when Marley left the family. 
In fact, I was quite upset when Jennifer Aniston lost her first baby. I really enjoyed such family films to begin with, the happy scenes with the entire family and Marley were very memorable and I kinda envy that kind of life. (Though 3 kids and 1 dog sound alil scary for me) I can say that I walked out of the theatre feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. It was so worth the tears. HAHA !
It was undeniably a sweet, simple film that has quite a good message(s) behind it. Unconditional love between the characters, how unexpected situations in life surprise you but you can make whatever you want out of it. When things get tough, stick with it and make the best out of it instead. Overall, I guess this is a movie that any dog owners/lovers can relate to wholeheartedly. I think it is an instant classic that many will enjoy, so do go and catch it if you have yet to ! 
I’m so tired but I just have to blog this out before I sleep. =X
P.S : Just a casual reminder, as much as I love dogs and I think everyone else should too…do not get yourself a dog if you’re not ready to be a responsible dog owner. No matter how cute/adorable/must-have the dog is to you, please bear in mind the responsibilities that comes with him/her. Dogs are not toys ! 
They too need as much attention and love as a human being.
“A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his.” – Marley & Me
Nokia : Comes With Music
How can you not be impressed by the people at Nokia ?
Tired of downloading music onto your computers (be it legally or *coughs* illegally) then transferring them to your phones AND mp3 players ? The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is your solution – it is not only just a phone but also comes with FREE unlimited songs to download on-the-go !
SMU Campus Radio was invited to the Nokia Radio Show aka the official media launch of Nokia’s new “Comes with Music” phones last week. (Kudos to the people at Text100 and the boyfriend) Being Nokia users ourselves, Ser Hua and myself were really excited to know more about this new series.
The Muttons from 987 hosted the event, there were stage games and casual interviews with the Nokia people and record labels for us to understand the Nokia’s new campaign better.
NOKIA 5800 – Games Segment from Ingrid on Vimeo.
We had Ser Hua as our repsentative for the game segment too !
Nokia 5800 – Games Segment #2 from Ingrid on Vimeo.
The main feature is how you can download unlimited tracks for FREE ! (Don’t we all love this word?) I think the Nokia people are really thoughtful when it comes to designing a stylish practical phone that puts their consumers’ needs as top priority.
For instance, I’m carrying my N82 for phone usage+camera and my laptop for internet and transferring of files and my mp3 player for music. Now things are so much easier when you can just click , download music and play them directly on your phone. I thought the stripes concept for this campaign was quite simple (yays for the creative team i suppose) but straight to the point. Great Job ! The media buzz was definitely right at your face yet not too annoying.
NOKIA 5800 – Comes with Music from Ingrid on Vimeo.
The 5800 offers 8GB memory for up to 6,000 tracks and support for all main digital music formats, yays to 3.5mm jack and built-in surround sound stereo speakers ! I really like the touchscreen which wasn’t too sensitive as compared to some of the touchscreen phones out there. The Nokia interface is almost idiot-proof, it is really user-friendly and the price is really attractive too ! Where else can you get a touchscreen phone with these functions AND unlimited FREE downloads of songs from Nokia Music Store ? I’m really tempted to replace my trusty N82 for this. 
Though I would still prefer my 5megapixels camera phone to a 3.2 
NOKIA 5800 – Hands On from Ingrid on Vimeo.
Back to the event, I was really surprised to see the All American Rejects !! Too bad they didn’t had a chance to play a song or two (but they had this Nokia Party after the launch). 
It was a mad mad queue for the carpark party at night though ! People were already queuing at 5pm !
Nonetheless, it was really a pleasant surprise and woah, they were just steps away !
Nokia 5800 – The All American’s Rejects from Ingrid on Vimeo.
On a sidenote, met many bloggers for the first time too ! Great to meet every single one of you ! (Sorry I was looking so blur..lol)
Last but not least, Thank you Ser Hua, Daryl and Krisandro for the wonderful afternoon !
Daryl and Krisandro aka the greedy bloggers (lol)
Looking forward to more events such as these !
NEW (kid on the block)
FINALLY ! ingridmak.net is here !! (much thanks to Stanley and the boyfriend)
I spent the entire afternoon thinking of what my first post should be – cliche , cheesy or yet another self introduction ?
As you can see, none of the above ! I’m keeping this short and sweet instead.
Look out for more (aka update your rss feeds) !
I know =) More awesome posts soon !
Next up…it “Comes With Music”
P.S: It’s bad to be using a template after spending 3 years in a design school, will do something about it when the term ends ! 
