Puzzles, Beauties & Horses part 2

Singapore International Racing Festival 2012

*Please forgive the blurry pictures below. I took them using my phone and due to the scary crowds, I was often forced to hop around the edges or climb to some higher spot to take pictures. The result: blurry pictures that suffered from too much zoom-in action.*

Okie, the Singapore International Racing Festival (SIRF) is an annual festival, organised by Singapore Turf Club (STC), that culminates in two prestigious races – SIA Cup & KrisFlyer International Sprint. But before the big day on 20th May,  there is a month-long flurry of activities that aim to bring all the excitement of horse racing to the public. So you will get to enjoy the sight of beautiful Turf Belles (girls who were chosen for their beauty, wit and keen interest in horse racing), equine exhibition and even a horseshoe pitching competition!

Turf Belle 2012

Ok, this is essentially STC’s search for its ambassador of the year. An island-wide search saw an overwhelming response from young ladies but they were eventually narrowed down to 11 beautiful young ladies.

These Turf Belles, who would appear at all SIRF events, were dressed in a designer impression of the jockey skills that belonged to the past 11 SIA Cup winners.

I couldn’t get near enough to get a good shot of them but here is a nice poster featuring all 11 of them:

One of them used to be Miss Popularity and Miss Vivacious for The New Paper New Face in 2009…can you guess which one? XD

Here is another picture that I captured with my phone at the NEX Event Plaza on 13th May. That was the day they had their last chance to impress the judges and public voters with their beauty, poise, intelligence and public engagement via a fashion catwalk and Q&A segment!

Turf Belles at Nex…no, that isn’t a real horse. =x

The top winner for Turf Belle 2012 eventually turned out to be Avena Seow, a Christy Chung lookalike. She doesn’t look like it but she really has quite a passion for comedy. Avena even told me that she hopes to be on Noose one day. =D

Well, Avena…if you ever read this post…I wish you all the best.

Avena was also Miss Popularity and Miss Vivacious in The New Paper New Face in 2009! Not a big surprise since she has a pretty bubbly personality…she’s also quite the family girl. =D

Roadshows

The roadshows had an equine exhibition that introduces you to the world of jockeys and their racehorses. There was also a horseshoe painting contest that not only allows you to be creative, but do your part for your charity too! The registration fee of $5 would go to Club Rainbow. =D

Jockeys tend to wear colours that have been “registered” by the owner or trainer who employed them AND they have to be brightly coloured so spectators can differentiate them during the race. =D

As you can see…the Turf Belles are popular everywhere they go. Here they are painting their horseshoes. XD

You paint, you donate and you could even win cash moolah!

The painted horseshoes so far

STC also invited a couple of celebrities to their roadshows. Rebecca Lim graced the one at Tampines 1 on 6th May while Lin Pei Fen hosted the Turf Belle segment at NEX on 13th May.

Lin Pei Fen, 933 FM DJ…she is quite pretty in person!

Horseshoe Pitching Competition

Now this is my most favourite part of the SIRF: Horseshoe Pitching! I even went to try a couple of rounds, but unfortunately I didn’t qualify. =x

Yes, yes. I know my aim is atrocious. T.T

Then again, this game requires a LOT of practice. I met the soon-to-be-champion, Mr Tommy Ho, who told me he created this mock-up of a stake at home and practised using his memento horseshoe he had gotten from a previous competition. I tell you…he is really damn good. Even the emcee constantly put him up as a good example of a horseshoe pitcher.

Horseshoe Pitching Champion 2012! He defeated last year’s champion lei. Don’t pray pray!

This is how you stand in order to pitch a ringer – which is a horseshoe encircling the stake stuck in a sandpit a short distance away. You can still score even if your horseshoe lands within 6 inches of the stake.

Making great pitches can win you moolah! Again, don’t pray pray!

Basically anyone who is over the age of 18, regardless of gender, nationality and religion, can participate. You don’t even need to buy anything. Very cool, right? That’s why you see really damn long queues at the first two roadshows where the finalists were being qualified.

They should make this sport a CCA in schools or something. Quite fun to watch and play too!

SIA CUP & KrisFlyer International Sprint

Now, I’m no horse punter but I’ve gotta admit that the atmosphere at the STC is quite something. Every time the horses are released from the barriers, the crowd went ballistic. Screams, shouts and fists pumping in excitement filled the air around me. The races were over in a couple of minutes but damn…the atmosphere was so infectious that it encouraged me to make a couple of bets too. LOL.

Unfortunately during the SIA Cup, one of the horses I bet on REFUSED to enter its gate and even threw its rider down a couple of times. =x

Wah…I bet the trainer/jockey must be quite sad to miss the chance to enter this international race. Even horses were flown down to participate lei. Such a good life. =x

Parade ring for the competing horses at STC

Prize giving ceremony for the SIA Cup. Our President was there to grace the event too!

You guys should probably go visit the STC at least once to see what it’s like. I know…it doesn’t exactly look like a glamorous place to be due to all the uncles and aunties but STC do organise events where you can dress up prettily like the recent Queen Elizabeth II Cup. They had this Marquee Party where people could party and watch the races at the same time. =D

AND! If you want something different for your wedding banquet hoh…you can also consider having it at the STC. XD

No one will be bored since they will be horse betting. Hehe…just don’t bet your angbao money away, ok? =x

Puzzles, Beauties & Horses part 1

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been almost four months since my last post. =x Well, good thing I have a couple of events to share with you. Hehe…and I shall divide them into TWO posts. Muahahaha!

Escape from WEREWOLVES!

First up: the Real Escape Game that has been taking Singapore by storm! I first knew of this game from Sarahcoldheart of the Seriously Sarah fame. She and our fellow Tweet pals had participated in “Escape from the Mysterious Cathedral“, which took place at CHIJMS in January. As one who is kinda into casual games of puzzle, I was intrigued so I decided to pull my bf along to the next instalment to see what it was like.

The concept was simple:

You lost your way and wandered into a village where werewolves attack people night by night. As the villagers disappear one by one, you can feel the fangs of the werewolves getting closer and closer to you.

Can you reveal all the mysteries in time, and escape the Werewolf Village?

Sounds exciting, right? Well, I was pretty excited about the game. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, but that didn’t mar my anticipation. =D

On the day of the game itself, I met Hanyang – the friendly representative from Gatecrash I had worked with during my CXC event – and he told me that the event was so popular that the session I was going to attend was sold out! o_O

Anyway, he was concerned that I had arrived with just my bf since a typical group is made up of 6 people. But I assured him that my Twitter pals would soon arrive and we would definitely make up a full group or two. XD

The Twitter Pals!

Okay, to be frank…I was completely clueless throughout the game. We were marooned in the *Scape warehouse and no one could leave the area until 1 hour later. I tried my best to solve the complicated puzzles, but I think my bf was better at this kind of thing than I am. =x

Along with the other male member of our group, they solved half the given puzzles while I fumbled around uselessly and trying to help. =x

I think the answers to the puzzles would have eventually occurred to me, but sad to say…the countdown and intense atmosphere in the warehouse shut my brain down. =x

I think in the event of a zombie attack…which somehow needs a puzzle to be solved in order to end the apocalypse, I will not be the brains. Let me hold the gun instead. =x

Wait…I can’t even aim properly. =x

*NYUUUUUUUUU!*

T.T

Get your groceries delivered to the door

Check this website out!

Redmart.Com

It’s a website where you can do your online grocery shopping and get them delivered to your door. Started by a guy who never had enough time to do his grocery shopping. It’s a cool idea but they don’t seem to have as many varieties of a certain product…say body foam as the supermarkets. =/

Follow that luggage~!

I came across this really interesting video by Delta Airlines that follows your luggage from check-in to check-out.

So if you’ve always wondered what happens to your luggage after it goes behind the rubber flaps, this is it. =D

Oh & if you’re someone who aspires to be a published writer, here is a site where you can share your writings, participate in events and stand a chance to win small prizes for your literary efforts! =)

It’s called the Budding Writers League and is apparently set up by 2 good friends who want to see local writing finds its well-deserved spot in the world. So go check it out!

In retrospection of 2011

My first post for 2012~! Happy New Year everyone! May this be an even better year than the last, although it has supposedly been foretold that this will be the year of The Big Doom and Recession. But hey, the future is not set in stone and we can still make it better than ever, right? =)

Had been pretty busy after the Comics Xchange event I had co-organised with the Association of Comic Artists Singapore and Story Kitchen. It didn’t go as well as I had hoped but all is not lost! Made plenty of friends at the event and came away with valuable lessons on how to organise an event such as this. =)

You might have read a few negative comments on my event, but I guess it comes with the territory and it certainly opened my eyes in a lot of ways.

My friends were supportive though. One even turned up in full cosplay gear! Even though she was about the only person who was an active photog opportunity. The rest were nowhere in sight and I even had a couple of young boys knocking on my seminar door, asking if there were cosplayers in my room! LOL.

There were other little blessings as well…like the food for instance. We ordered Bibik Catering for our various meals and wow! Damn delicious, especially the Bee Hoon Goreng. My sponsors & speakers were great people who rose to the occasion splendidly and the members of my seminar, too, were rather enthusiastic in their participation. While the crowd at the event was admittedly small, people mingled well and made a few new friends.

Everyone looks happy & that's what counts the most! Otto Fong was one of our speakers.

I wouldn’t say that my event was a complete failure coz at least some people turned up. LOL. I don’t regret organising it. Yes, there were some inevitable unhappiness arising from the fact that the turnout was unexpectedly small but I’m proud to say that I’ve managed to do something I’ve always wanted to do since I set up AMWC. On to the next adventure in 2012 then~! =)

In retrospection, this year has been a milestone year in more ways than one. I ventured into a new field of writing for Lookbox (a local interior design magazine) and Point (a magazine targeted at Asia’s CEOs and high ranking personnel), visited Taiwan for the first time (read my travel blog for the highlights!) and dipped my toes in the world of trainers & speakers thanks to Karen Leong (she’s a speaker on the topics like how to network in winsome way, how to win people over at work etc).

All in all, a rather fruitful year. =D

Oh and it seems that a few of my friends have gotten married before 2011 ended. Congratulations, gals! May Lady Happiness always smile on your marriage!

PS: Before I forget, I wish to thank Jerry Hinds (the President of Association of Comic Artists) for his generous support of the event. Without his help, I doubt I could actually bring the event to fruition! Hehe…that’s why it’s so important to have a good wingman by your side!

Oh My God

This movie review is made possible by omy.sg.

Immortals is a blockbuster wanna-be movie that revolves around Theseus, a Young Warrior who picked up The Weapon so he can Kill The Bad Guy who had killed his mother. The Gods and Goddess of Olympus are young nubile hot-headed immortals who watch helplessly from their pedestals way up high and wring their hands as their “beloved people” get slaughtered by this very angry warlord who was angry mainly because the Gods ignored his pleas for his very sick family a long time ago.

The Gods and Goddess (only Athena bothered to make an appearance), you see, were forbidden by Zeus, the Father of all Gods & Goddesses to intervene in mortal affairs as GODS lest they risk his wrath and DEATH as punishment.

And that about sums up the entire movie. =x

Funnily, Zeus left a loophole for himself by saying “intervening as GODS” but the other pretty but apparently empty-headed Gods & Goddess (I refuse to call her Athena coz she is in no way a strong and formidable Goddess who actually stood up to her own Father in Greek myths) didn’t see the loophole and happily appeared in the Godly forms to help Theseus and his complimentary buddy.

No prizes for guessing what happens next. =.=

The movie boasts of numerous special effects and manly men who bang their shields in manly valour but none of those can save this terrible movie from its slow death. If you know your Greek myths, you will agar agar know that Theseus was the hero who felled Minotaur and Titans are…well…TITIANS (BIG BAD GIANTS who are the age -old enemies of Zeus and his cohort). But no, these legendary figures and stories were twisted into unrecognizable chunks in this movie. All it can ever boast of are pretty faces who do the Gods they portray NO JUSTICE AT ALL.

Yes, OMG indeed.

See you at Comics Xchange this Saturday & Sunday!

Hiya guys! It’s going to be 1st & 2nd Oct soon! And that means the Comics Xchange is going to be upon us soon! =)

The seminars & workshops now have group discounts of 5% for 5 or more people so if you’re still wondering if you should sign up for one of them, grab this chance now. =)

Our seminars & workshops target amateur artists who want to level up their skills in the creative & business arena. The seminars, for example, feature Karen Leong who is an Influential Communications Expert. She will guide participants on how to present themselves in a professional yet influential way so doors of opportunity may open for them. Wu Di from Manga Castle will show how the law of attraction can “attract” people to invest in your passion. =)

Jerry Hinds (ACAS & Niceone Entertainment) & Aravind Menon (Jove Pater Media) will also cover the creative aspects of writing & time-saving art techniques to help boost your current level in producing comics/manga.

So we’re not just focusing on the creative side of comics, we want our participants to be business-savvy too! =) It’s good that you get to do what you love on a regular basis but even better when that passion helps you pay the bills as well. =D

And the bazaar will feature superhero body art by Function Junction, epic lightsaber fight by Fight Saber (see below video), talented artists like Collateral Damage Studios, Comix Pandora, Kelvin Chan & more so you better not miss this event. =D

Cheers!

More details on Comics Xchange 2011

Hiya all! I’ve just released the official CxC brochure so if you’re an artist, from an independent artist group or a commercial entity etc who would like to join us in the bazaar, seminars or workshops, do check out all the details here: http://issuu.com/lilianwu/docs/comics_xchange_brochure.art

Comics Xchange 2011

In case you’ve been wondering where I’ve been in my absence…I’m proud to announce that the brainchild I’ve been working on is finally ready to be born! On October 1 & 2 this coming year end of course. =) I’m co-organising it in conjunction with the Association of Comic Artists Singapore (ACAS) & Story Kitchen to bring you the first ever EDU-FUNTAINMENT event at the Goodman Arts Centre.

Comics Xchange is an event for the creatives by the creatives. There will be seminars, workshops for the kids, a 24 hour comics drawing marathon and even a bazaar to satisfy the shopaholic within you! XD

DATE: October 1 and 2 2011

VENUE: Goodman Art Centre, 90 Goodman Road, Singapore 439053
Find out how to get there by clicking here…

HIGHTLIGHTS
Let’s Talk Comics & Business – CXC Seminar
For the very serious but inexperienced enthusiast, a number of esteemed local speakers from the world of comics, manga and graphic novels will give a series of talks, specific to the subject matter and how it also affects numerous vertical markets. Subjects include everything from the merits of quality writing and draughtsmanship, to the essentials of presentation, publishing, distribution and new digital platforms. Attendees will have a chance to bring along their story and art portfolios to obtain on-the-day critiques and maybe even land a trial assignment.

CXPO Bazaar
For those in search of out-and-out fun! A dedicated artists realm will be the place to go to purchase inspiring local comics and artwork. Focused pop culture retailers will add to the festival feeling, offering generous discounts on leading books, merchandise and apparel. Not forgetting the open invitation to cosplayers, courtesy of CosAsia – Singapore’s premier costume retailer and purveyor of the fever, will have their own special 50+ strong entourage present! The life & souls of any party, the best dressed on the day will have the chance to walk away with top value sponsored prizes, ranging from free books and manga, to posters and movie tickets. Artists’ booths will be made available for rent. Details coming soon.

CXC Captions and Actions Workshops
There are many forms of writing, and few are as unique as comics — the Captions Workshop will teach and demonstrate basic fundamentals of plot building, story structuring and how to develop narrative and character dialogue. For those artists who are curious about how to create their own characters and concepts — the Actions Workshop is just the place to be, sharing potent knowledge on how to generate vibrant story character visuals, and how to integrate them meaningfully as part of a concept.

Captions & Actions Workshops are for anyone age 12 or above (including mature adults!). All classes are devised & conducted by Senior Members & Associates of the Association of Comic Artists (Singapore) (ACAS). Prizes will be given to the best students over the two days, including cutting-edge digital devices that can aid in all aspects of comic creation.

24 Hour Comics Day @ CXC
For the very serious and most proficient comes this incorporated International event – the challenge is to produce a 24-page comic in 24 hours. The event was successfully launched in Singapore last year with 30 participants, and this year it is expected to generate even greater interest. The stories completed will be shortlisted for possible publication in December. This is not a competition, but a challenge for oneself. Uncompleted works are dubbed ‘Noble Failures’, so there is no shame in failure here, because all efforts embrace the spirit of the challenge and remain worthy of celebration. They can be completed after the event and still be considered for publication.

WHO ELSE IS WELCOME?
Cosplayers, family, friends, kids…basically anyone who is interested in the world of comics and manga are welcome to drop by! There is space for everyone. =)

We will release the sale information for the seminars/workshops/booth rentals soon, so do stay tuned to this space! In the meantime, do drop by our Facebook Fan Page or Twitter~! Our website with all the ticketing details will be launched very soon.

So don’t forget to stay tuned! XD

Conan the RENEWED Barbarian

This movie review is made possible by omy.sg.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN

If you were born in the 80s, this name would be synonymous with Arnold Schwarzenegger  & his amazing abs.

 

Now in the 21st century, this name is refreshed with a new remake starring Jason Momoa,  Rachel Nichols, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, Ron Perlman, and Bob Sapp.

I’ve never really caught the originals but I do recall them being cheesy. =x This darker interpretation of  Robert E. Howard’s series of stories on the titular character is unapologetically violent with fierce thumps of music. I wouldn’t exactly call this an epic movie coz it mostly consists of fighting, fighting and more fighting… =x and what peaceful moments it had (aka the sex scene) was CENSORED. Haii…

Well, in short, this movie is all about Conan seeking revenge on his father’s murderer and frolicking with a few ladies on the side as entertainment. However, there is one thing I like about this movie and that is: the female lead kicks ass! Ok, she doesn’t do it as professionally as Conan BUT! She can still hold her own in a one-on-one fight! Definitely more than what I can say about female love interests in most cases. =x

All in all…an ok movie. Spectacular fighting scenes and all but…I wished they had done a little more character development. Oh and Rose McGowan seemed a little strained playing the witch daughter of the main villain. I suppose the character was supposed to be all slippery and snakey but somehow she comes across as unnatural. =x