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. =/

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!

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!

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.

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!

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 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

So I was invited to a movie preview of Sex & Zen: Extreme Ecstasy (3D). No, it wasn’t at the Yangtze, which is well-known for its sleazy movie screenings. And yes, I was disappointed. Not because I didn’t get to go to Yangtze. =x But because the movie, which is loosely adapted on its comedic predecessors, has been censored to the point where the plot is reduced into a meaningless love story. 18 minutes worth of sex, torture and rape were cut out but they left images of a huge penis intact. =x

The story is supposed to be about this scholar who wants to improve his sex life because his manhood is un-endearingly small. So he goes for a penis transplant, gets a huge one and proceeds to perform a mass orgy with his patron’s harem. But you won’t see this in the movie because it has been cut out. =x

I don’t mind a little constructive censoring but when important scenes are switched around or cut out for the sake of preserving our *ahem* morality, then the movie might as well be shown exclusively at Yangtze so hentai jijis can enjoy it in its entirety. =x

Oh but Yangtze doesn’t have a 3D screen, right. Time for an upgrade then. =x Hurhur.

It does have a touching ending where the main characters, now an elderly couple, explains to a newly-wed couple why sex isn’t important in a marriage but by this time, you don’t give a damn because…

all the sex has been cut out.

Hurhur.

If you’re suffering from skin problems like eczema, acne, pigmentation or an overly oily complexion etc, there is now light at the end of the tunnel. Literally speaking. =D

You see, I was invited to a Spa Buffet blogger event organised by Cozycot and Spa-Lon. Once there, we were treated to an informative talk on treating various skin conditions with light. Yes, you heard me right. Light.

But wouldn’t light harm my skin? I can see you cover your precious organ (which is our largest one by the way) protectively. Well according to the Spa-Lon representative (didn’t really get his name, sorry about that), it depends on the frequency of light. Which of course contributes to the colour of light we will get.

Human skin regenerates under certain frequencies of light and different colours carry out various functions. For example, do you know that yellow light can boost natural collagen production in your skin? Or that red light kills bacteria and blue light is good for treating acne?

So how does Spa-Lon use light to treat a whole spectrum of skin conditions? By using the ATP-38, the latest breakthrough in beauty and wellness. It combines TEN therapeutic technologies to treat not only your face and body but also your hair! It all sounds very cool right?

ATP-38: The Most Powerful LED Device in the world. (According to their press release)

According to the Spa-Lon representative, this technology poses no harm to your skin because it uses LED light instead of laser ones. Laser light will destroy your first layer of skin cells so they can grow new ones. BUT, LED light penetrates your skin and encourages the cells to regenerate instead. Hence it takes on a more holistic and healing technique. This device has 3 wavelengths namely red, yellow and infrared (which is invisible).

One of the device demonstrations we were given.

Feels a little like tanning lights, huh?

Some of us managed to try out the services but due to an overwhelming turnout of bloggers, I wouldn’t be able to give you an account born from my personal experience but here are a few pictures to whet your appetite:

A blogger tries out the treatment for her eye bags...after a skin consultation of course.

The light treatment begins.

Leg therapy for eczema (She reminds me of a young friend called Korin. XD )

My new found friend at the event, Pris, tries out a treatment for her face.