[Event/Giveaway] Royston Tan’s new short ‘Ah Kong’
Health Promotion Board had a preview screening of local filmmaker Royston Tan’s latest work – ‘Ah Kong’ 阿公 last Tuesday at The Screening Room. I had the privilege to watch it firsthand with Hweif Fen.
First of all, it is really nice to see how the government is getting involved in the arts scene and sending messages to the public using a creative platform. Secondly, it’s a topic that really touched me because my grandfather suffered from Dementia and I know how horrible the feeling was for both him and the caretaker. It’s like living with a 4 years old trapped in a wrinkled body, sad but true. They need the extra care and attention which most people are unable to provide due to work/social lifestyle. But there’s always help you can seek, so don’t just leave them alone.
Just to share more about Dementia, did you know these are top 10 warning signs of Dementia ?
Top Ten Warning Signs of Dementia
1. Memory loss that affects day to day functions
2. Difficulty doing familiar tasks
3. Confusion about time and place
4. Problems communicating
5. Difficulty planning or solving problems
6. Poor or decreased judgement
7. Misplacing things
8. Changes in mood or behaviour
9. Changes in personality
10. Withdrawal from work or social activities
If someone you love around you shows certain warning signs, you should really pay extra attention and care for them instead of abandoning them on their own ! Being socially engaged and mentally active is one of the few ways to reduce the risk or delay the onset of dementia. (Speaking of which, I feel like I’m suffering from dementia already. Haha ! )
Enjoy the full length film here ! I thought it was pretty well executed and I have to say, the Ah Kong was really convincing.
[Giveaway]
Stand a chance to win an autographed DVD of ‘Ah Kong’ by Royston Tan !
Simply drop me an email at ingridmak [at] gmail [dot] come with the title: “ Ah Kong DVD Giveaway” with your name and contact information. (Please include your mailing address so that I can mail it out!)
Winner will be randomly picked and contacted via email.
*Singapore Residents Only.
Closing date : 27 Sept 2010, 2359.
What’s Your City Of Dreams ?
Thanks to Amelia from Waggener Edstrom for the invite, I was at the spanking new mall Ion Orchard on Friday night for HP’s City of Dreams Blogger event. This is part of HP Digital Festival by the way, happening all the way till 13th August at Ion Orchard Basement 4 !
HP has always been part of my “design life” in a way since most of my internship work was for HP various projects, so it’s no surprise that HP is heavily involved with the arts and design. I’m quite happy that HP is taking the lead to produce work stations that are specially designed for designers/artists. Sure, Apple may still be more commonly found as the love of all design addicts but it is still easier to switch from softwares to softwares on a PC and once in awhile, you meet clients who do not know how to deal with MAC formats (which honestly, I don’t find it a problem till I met some people who really just don’t get it.)
Anyways, the event was pretty fun ! We sat through the prize presentation for the winning digital arts & animations from ‘HP Lightropolis’ competition. Then we were caught by surprise when we were divided into groups for a small design challenge ! (Thank God that my “artistically inclined” boyfriend isn’t on the same team..HAHA!) I have to comment on the HP workstations, perhaps it was because there were no other running applications, but the computers were really fast – even when we opened like 30+ vector graphics all at one go. I’d probably get the “blue screen of death” if I tried to do that at home ! Winning the challenge with our random-chunk-everything-together-and-change-color-”masterpiece” was a bonus for me and the 2 girls on my team that night ! (Though I wish it was a netbook or the workstation that I carried home instead, teehee!) Oh, we got to take pictures with Ben 10 too ! I’m sad that I didn’t manage to find out whether it was a guy behind the female character’s costume !
At the end of the day, I think it was not about winning the challenge or the workstations but how companies are taking a lead in encouraging the Arts scene in Singapore. I really appreciate how some organizations are putting in the effort and not just looking at making profits because one thing for sure, consumers are smarter than before. It’s not just about the price but how a brand leaves an impact on them or the society as a whole. At least for me, that’s the case. So 2 thumbs up for the HP people and of course thank you to the organizers+team behind this event ! (Just that I’d prefer to have less surprises or guess-what-will-be-coming-up-next in the future..haha!)
And what’s my city of dreams ? It’s white because it’s blank ! =P
note: can’t seem to get the pictures up from my cam..will try again tomorrow!
Bravo,Christian Lacroix the Costumier !
Ping, the boyfriend and I headed over to the National Museum of Singapore to check out the Christian Lacroix the Costumier exhibition. The museum was rather empty, probably due to the H1N1 outbreak or the fact that the museum closes at 6pm. We got our complimentary tickets at around 5.30pm (on the dot for last entry) and we had the whole exhibition hall to ourselves ! 
I was really looking forward to immerse myself in this whole charming French fashion history – the amazing costumes and sketches by the genius designer Christian Lacroix (which the boyfriend laughed and called me a “Fake French” because I have no idea how to pronounce his last name properly. haha) The exhibition was alot smaller than I imagined it would be but the decor sets the mood and I have to admit (randomly) that I really liked the chairs in that display hall. I wish I have one of those at home ! If I’m not wrong, the museum decorated the display to look as though you’re in a theatre blackbox with the red lighting and moving mannequins.
Design wise, you will definitely be impressed by the details and depth of his work. His sketches were stunning to begin with and I love his dramatic use of color and fabric. In case you have no idea, he first began with ready-to-wear designs to the displays you see in National Museum which are his works for operas, theatre and dance. For example, you will probably know “Carmen” and Shakespeare’s “Othello”. I think it is quite a rare opportunity for Singaporeans to be in touch with this aspect of the Arts since Opera is not a very “hip” thing in town.
It was quite spectacular if you enjoy fashion or you’re someone like me, who thinks “anything French is awesome” (HAHA). I had fun at the hands-on area where the museum provided paper (of really good quality, to my surprise) for sketches and paper dolls for dress-up games. There are 4 wooden dolls for you to place fabric over and create your own masterpieces as well ! The boyfriend and I had a go at it and there’s a reason why we’re both from a management university ! (hur)
So what do you think ? Who do you think have a better sense of fashion (HAHA) ! If you think you can do a better job, go down to the gallery and snap a picture of your magnificent costume for me to see ! 
This gotta be one of the biggest fashion event of the year, so don’t miss it ! The ticket is priced at $8 but you get to enter FREE if you’re wearing RED from 9-10th May ! 
