[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.
PC Show 2009 Hype
Despite the economic downturn AND H1N1 saga, PC Show 2009 at Suntec was flooded by people. You practically have to squeeze and push (or in my case,being pushed) your way through the human jam. I guess the fact that I went there on the last day explains the crowd as well. However it didn’t take me long to notice that the down-escalators were packed with quite an amount of people who left empty-handed.
Question for all consumers out there : Why do you go down for PC Show ?
If you wanted to do market research, online is probably the best place to do so I believe. The entire price list is being uploaded and the leaflets were even scanned by kind souls out there. The price won’t be much of a huge difference on the spot as well, so isn’t it easier to find your “potential” buys before heading down for an aimless stroll with the smelly crowd in that stuffy hall ?
Another thing worth mentioning is the amount of leaflet littered on the floor – do these companies even need to print these leaflet outs ? I appreciate the people who shared the information online and taking the trouble to scan them in. I did my own research with those digital leaflets before heading down, that saves me alot of time and the hassle to go through the papers on the spot. Eventually these leaflets are of no use and it just contributes to the big hoohaa about “recycling” and “global warming” issues.
IF employment is the key factor here, then why not hire those part timers and train them properly to promote your products instead of getting them to stand around to hand out paper that are to be thrown on the floor after a few steps ? Kudos to this promoter at the S-brand booth for sharing his insights about the ext.hdd that I was planning to get. He was so sincere and honest about how their competitor ext.hdd is probably a more suitable choice for my usage instead of desperately trying to con me into buying their item. I actually felt like I’ll buy the ext.hdd from him instead if I’m less practical/logical ! I almost had a sorethroat from the “yelling” conversations because of the various sound setups. (haha)
My dad was complaining about how they should hold the PC Show at EXPO instead of Suntec after enduring the not-enough-parking-issue,the human traffic madness and poor air ventilation of the halls. From an event organizer’s point of view, I guess a centralized location matters most. However, I do agree on the poor air ventilation issue especially with the H1N1 paranoia, I was actually surprised to see no signs of any mask-wearers !
I guess it just annoys me alil when there are people who are there just for the sake for “yes,i’ve been to the PC show” or er…”experience the PC show hype” when they are not there to buy anything or without the intention to ? It causes people who really wanted to buy things alot of inconvenience and the crowd may not be necessary if not for these random aunties/kids/window-shoppers. In addition, after comparing prices online, I believe that Simlim or Funan provides the same offer etc. In fact, we got our webcam at the creative shop itself instead of PC Show which was pretty empty and better service provided.
Can you imagine if just 1 or 2 people were H1N1 carriers ? Sheesh. PANIC SINGAPORE, PANIC !!!
but of course I didn’t go there just for a “site visit” and I didn’t do my online research for nothing. (hur)
Loots : Seagate 1TB ext.hdd xtreme , creative live webcam , 2 HP printer ink
picture source : square75@blogspot
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 ?
