As the opening performance of Night Festival this weekend, Dancing Sky by Studio Festi was goosebumps inducing beautiful. Flying ballerinas, floating vessels and giant balloons; infectious italiano opera, surreal lights and shadows against our neo-palladian architecture; we have all been momentarily transported to Teatro Alla Scala in the 45mins that the show lasted. It was crowded as hell and we were all meat-packed but Singaporeans have never been a lovelier bunch -- astounded, quiet and mesmerized; then cheering, clapping, and smiing in unison and awe.
If you've missed all of that, redeem yourself by attending the activities next weekend (25 fri, 26 sat). Free Admission for all programs and exhibits. Some highlights:
Beatnik Picnic by Zouk 25 & 26 July 10.30pm - 2am SMU Campus Green -- 16yrs and above only. pyrotechnics performance, party, art & craft fringe activities 25th: Van She from Sydney, DJ Hong, indie disco 26th: Fresh -- Hiphop, breakdancing, MC-ing, turntabalism and graffiti art. Light Installation by The Electric Canvas (Australia) 25 & 26 July 9.45pm - 2am National Museum, Singapore Art Museum --Installation continues from 27 July to 3 August, 7.30pm-11pm nightly.
Reform by PVI Collective (Australia) 25 & 26 July 8.30pm, 10.30pm, 11.30pm, 12.30am National Museum Stamford Green Onsite Registration begins from 6.30pm onwards --each person will be given a portable radio and headset; follow the instructions as you walk through a darkened city.
Percussion & Band Performance by Bloco Singapura 25 & 26 July 9.45pm-10.30pm SMU Campus Green -- street percussion and street carnival music
Under the Banyan Tree: open-air cinema 25 July, 8-9.45pm -- Hairspray (2007) 26 July, 8-9.45pm -- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory National Museum Stamford Green
Just in case anyone gets thirsty or hungry, there will also be a Night Bazaar on Stamford Green from 6.30pm to 2am on both nights with stalls selling nostalgic local food. How thoughtful.
Mei and Suzie are back from Hong Kong with lots of new shopping, photos, inspiration and 2 uninvited extra kilos. More importantly for me, I was back with a completed mission -- to source for a pair of Converse 100th anniversary edition. I got myself a spanking new pair of Digilog Hi. Oh, love.
Hong Kong was sneakers haven in every way possible. While Tokyo carried all the rare and 2nd hand models, HK carried lots of 20 US dollar imitations. Very tempting, but no. Haha.
And the Jack Purcells were everywhere, authentic or fake. Some already on Summer sale, since it was a Spring/Summer release. I really wanted them all.. but my pocket screamed danger.
Converse 100th Anniversary Jack Purcell Mid in snake leather
We were always very much excited, followed by utter disappointment whenever we realised they have so much more that we do not. Contrary to popular beliefs, they weren't all about Louis Vuitton and Coach. What we deem low profile here seems pretty much known, if not mainstream in HK to us. Tsumori Chisato, See by Chloe, Vivienne Westwood were easily spotted along the streets. My heart wept and bled when i spotted Devastee at D.mop. Their competitive multi-brand stores puts Club21 here to big shame. We stepped into HMV to look for Wong Kar Wai, but got distracted by Control and I'll Be There on DVD on the 'New Release' rack at store front. Makes you wonder what our censorship board is up to, bummer.
And, of course, the FOOD. We followed in Anthony Bourdain's footsteps and couldn't be more satisfied. It was heaven on tastebuds, thanks to host dubbie.
Oh, busy. / Nan Goldin & Patrick Wolf @ Tate Modern
The busiest wave always hits just as you think there's nothing to do. A huge stack of magazines to peruse, dvds to watch, books to read and hours of money to make -- the last of them on the very top of the priority list.
Tired and jaded last night, Nan Goldin and Patrick Wolf suddenly swept me off my feet on this little 14" screen of my VAIO.
urban bohemia | Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" -- slideshow, accompanied by Patrick Wolf @ Tate Modern, London 24th May
I think Patrick Wolf made it all the more amazing. Watch all Part 1-9 here.
Suzie and Mei have been restless, broke and looking for free things to do. Let us know if you have any new and exciting suggestions.
Upcoming events:
Michelangelo Antonioni Retrospective If you haven't gotten enough of the Italian Film Festival which closed on Sunday, get your extra foreign film feed at the National Museum starting tomorrow. For three weeks, the museum will be showcasing 16 of the italian film master's feature films, including classics like Blowup, Zabriskie Point and rarely seen early works. For more information, the film schedule and booking, visit the National Museum website.
Venue: National Museum, Gallery Theatre Date: 19 June - 6 July Price: we wished it was FOC, but unfortunately, adult tickets are priced at $8 and concessionary tickets at $6.40 (students, NSmen, senior citizens).
Under the Banyan Tree: Open Air Cinema The last two films of the popular event at National Museum features old local films Madu Tiga(1964) and Bujang Lapok(1957). Be sure to catch it next friday or saturday evening. More information, visit the National Museum website.
Date: Madu Tiga -- 27 June(Fri) 8.00pm / Bujang Lapok -- 28 June (Sat) 8.00pm Venue: Stamford Garden Price: FREE!
Eeeks. Our ever hot and beloved (ok, MY ever hot and beloved) James Franco turned white trash in PINEAPPLE EXPRESS: a self-titled doper comedy about pot. Stoner Dale Denton (Seth Rogan) and his weed dealer Saul Silver (James Franco) have a run-in with the cops when Dale witnessed a murder by a corrupted cop and left his roach of Pineapple Express behind in a moment of panic. To complicate matters further, the weed is so rare that it could easily be traced back to Saul. Thus, in a typical stoner comedy plot ala H&K, the duo makes a run for their lives, with the cops and the bad guys hot on their trails.
James Franco usually wears his heroic roles well. So having watched him as James Dean, Sonny and the New Goblin, he is refreshingly funny when he's all grassy and dopey in Pineapple Express. But the movie will only be released in the states this August/local cinemas this October, so I can only judge from the trailer. Thus far, I really can't wait to watch it, but maybe that's because I'm a big sucker for stoner comedies.
TRAILER:
And here's M.I.A. for Pineapple Ex. soundtrack. I fly like a paper, get high as a plane.: M.I.A. - Paper Planes
On a final note, I was really trying to avoid this, but i realise this blog sounds obviously very estrogenized. haha.
And Happy belated World Environment Day. But remember that everyday should be environment day!
They(he) have(has) done Tak Gui, now they bring you Kwa Gui.
This will be screened when the national stadium closes, a very contradictory situation for us. Cause we are pro-conservationists and anti-advocates of tabula rasa. Yet, we're here waiting for the stadium to close so they will show this. Wait very long already.
Their last premiere was "Zo Hee" at substation last December. But we didn't get a chance to watch it. So we're patiently waiting for them to upload to youtube, but like, also wait very long already.
Watch their everything on Hosaywood.com if you haven't done so. We still like Zo Gang best.
cheesy lyrics, the crooning, the teeny-bopping, and all the light and right stuff. Something for the crazy weather, for your surfer dude oneirism, for the images of lush green rolling hills, hot beer gigs by the beach, your clear summer night stargazing fantasies. And all the lack thereof.
I'm not a fan of the sun, the bikinis, the beachy pretty people, nor the crazy summer sales. I really hate June. And its crazy weather. And more so because it seems like my entire wardrobe built over over the past 6mths suddenly seems unfit for the heat. Whatever it is, hope you're havin fun all you summer and tanning-lovin' people.
If only we could get our hands on a Photofit kit. Originating from the Brit cops in the 70s, these kits come in wooden boxes, contaning paper and transparency add-on strips with various facial features and details, such as, wrinkles and hairy moles -- very much like your primary school anatomy transparency books. Since tracking down bad guys isn't really our forte, we could perhaps use it to model a self-portrait, or an imaginary portrait of the perfect mate.
Studio8 Design got their hands on a photofit kit and has done a project with it, asking people they knew to piece together their own self-portraits and then compared it with a snapshot of the subjects for comparison. Download a full pdf set of portraits and interviews at their website.
Lulu, film's first ultimate independent and modern woman, and reckoned the most iconic film noir temptress ever made. In her most quintessential character, she played her namesake -- sensual, yet innocent Lulu -- in Pandora's Box. The film was directed by the great German expressionist director Georg Wilhelm Pabst, the only one knew how to exploit Lulu's naturalistic acting skills.
Lulu in Berlin (part 1 of 4). A rare interview with Louise Brooks by documentarian Richard Leacock and Susan Steinberg Woll.
Read Kenneth Tynan's essay, "The Girl in the Black Helmet", alluding to her famous black bob. Lulu, by the end of her life, became a writer and film critic on the silent era.
So you have heard the story on Grey Gardens and Big and Little Edie Beale -- the reclusive cousins of Jackie O. It's probably one of those films you can watch again, and again.
They're making a new movie on Grey Gardens, set to be released on silver screen in November. Stars Drew Barrymore as Little Edie, Jessica Lange as Big Eddie, and Jeanne Tripplehorn as Jackie O. The actresses seem fit for the characters respectively -- we've seen Jessica Lange enough through her twisted mother/widow roles and Jeanne Tripplehorn is perfect as Jackie O. simply because she bears so much resemblance to the first lady with her Bouvier-ish features.
But of course, nothing compares to the original.
And here's a very nice version of Rufus Wainwright's "Grey Gardens":
Happy Vesak Day. We're featuring two photography features back-to-back today.
The first, "War Photographer", a documentary film by Christian Frei that follows James Nachtwey closely to the places of Kosovo, the West Bank and Indonesia. The man had been on a personal quest for the last 25 years, documenting war-stricken terror and extreme poverty. Possessing an invisible armor of steel, follow the documentary through as Nachtwey puts himself passionately every time in the heart of the most dangerous, the dirtiest, and the most gut-wrenching of situations to capture what we wouldn't have known lest we were there ourselves. The film also traces us back to the end of the Bang Bang Club in 1994 following the death of South African photojournalist, Ken Oosterbroek, in a crossfire during the Apatheid period (pre-democracy South Africa).
Nachtwey projects a voice louder than that of his humble and reserved nature, and bigger than a personal ambition, by showing the world these images.
This is Saffron, schoolmate Tiffany's little niece.
The sassy 4-year-old of a Singaporean-Londoner mix, she has the quirkiest style for a little girl, the works of her mother no doubt, and the cutest British accent. The last time I heard, she prefers to talk to the bigger boys. Visit welovesaffron if you can't get enough of her.
The climate is gradually inching into the full effects of Summer up in the North. And the Tokyo-ians still layer it best. We have 365 days of Summer here, what's our excuse? Buck up, guys.
As the opening performance of Night Festival this weekend, Dancing Sky by Studio Festi was goosebumps inducing beautiful. Flying ballerinas, floating vessels and giant balloons; infectious italiano opera, surreal lights and shadows against our neo-palladian architecture; we have all been momentarily transported to Teatro Alla Scala in the 45mins that the show lasted. It was crowded as hell and we were all meat-packed but Singaporeans have never been a lovelier bunch -- astounded, quiet and mesmerized; then cheering, clapping, and smiing in unison and awe.
If you've missed all of that, redeem yourself by attending the activities next weekend (25 fri, 26 sat). Free Admission for all programs and exhibits. Some highlights:
Beatnik Picnic by Zouk 25 & 26 July 10.30pm - 2am SMU Campus Green -- 16yrs and above only. pyrotechnics performance, party, art & craft fringe activities 25th: Van She from Sydney, DJ Hong, indie disco 26th: Fresh -- Hiphop, breakdancing, MC-ing, turntabalism and graffiti art. Light Installation by The Electric Canvas (Australia) 25 & 26 July 9.45pm - 2am National Museum, Singapore Art Museum --Installation continues from 27 July to 3 August, 7.30pm-11pm nightly.
Reform by PVI Collective (Australia) 25 & 26 July 8.30pm, 10.30pm, 11.30pm, 12.30am National Museum Stamford Green Onsite Registration begins from 6.30pm onwards --each person will be given a portable radio and headset; follow the instructions as you walk through a darkened city.
Percussion & Band Performance by Bloco Singapura 25 & 26 July 9.45pm-10.30pm SMU Campus Green -- street percussion and street carnival music
Under the Banyan Tree: open-air cinema 25 July, 8-9.45pm -- Hairspray (2007) 26 July, 8-9.45pm -- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory National Museum Stamford Green
Just in case anyone gets thirsty or hungry, there will also be a Night Bazaar on Stamford Green from 6.30pm to 2am on both nights with stalls selling nostalgic local food. How thoughtful.
Mei and Suzie are back from Hong Kong with lots of new shopping, photos, inspiration and 2 uninvited extra kilos. More importantly for me, I was back with a completed mission -- to source for a pair of Converse 100th anniversary edition. I got myself a spanking new pair of Digilog Hi. Oh, love.
Hong Kong was sneakers haven in every way possible. While Tokyo carried all the rare and 2nd hand models, HK carried lots of 20 US dollar imitations. Very tempting, but no. Haha.
And the Jack Purcells were everywhere, authentic or fake. Some already on Summer sale, since it was a Spring/Summer release. I really wanted them all.. but my pocket screamed danger.
Converse 100th Anniversary Jack Purcell Mid in snake leather
We were always very much excited, followed by utter disappointment whenever we realised they have so much more that we do not. Contrary to popular beliefs, they weren't all about Louis Vuitton and Coach. What we deem low profile here seems pretty much known, if not mainstream in HK to us. Tsumori Chisato, See by Chloe, Vivienne Westwood were easily spotted along the streets. My heart wept and bled when i spotted Devastee at D.mop. Their competitive multi-brand stores puts Club21 here to big shame. We stepped into HMV to look for Wong Kar Wai, but got distracted by Control and I'll Be There on DVD on the 'New Release' rack at store front. Makes you wonder what our censorship board is up to, bummer.
And, of course, the FOOD. We followed in Anthony Bourdain's footsteps and couldn't be more satisfied. It was heaven on tastebuds, thanks to host dubbie.
Oh, busy. / Nan Goldin & Patrick Wolf @ Tate Modern
The busiest wave always hits just as you think there's nothing to do. A huge stack of magazines to peruse, dvds to watch, books to read and hours of money to make -- the last of them on the very top of the priority list.
Tired and jaded last night, Nan Goldin and Patrick Wolf suddenly swept me off my feet on this little 14" screen of my VAIO.
urban bohemia | Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" -- slideshow, accompanied by Patrick Wolf @ Tate Modern, London 24th May
I think Patrick Wolf made it all the more amazing. Watch all Part 1-9 here.
Suzie and Mei have been restless, broke and looking for free things to do. Let us know if you have any new and exciting suggestions.
Upcoming events:
Michelangelo Antonioni Retrospective If you haven't gotten enough of the Italian Film Festival which closed on Sunday, get your extra foreign film feed at the National Museum starting tomorrow. For three weeks, the museum will be showcasing 16 of the italian film master's feature films, including classics like Blowup, Zabriskie Point and rarely seen early works. For more information, the film schedule and booking, visit the National Museum website.
Venue: National Museum, Gallery Theatre Date: 19 June - 6 July Price: we wished it was FOC, but unfortunately, adult tickets are priced at $8 and concessionary tickets at $6.40 (students, NSmen, senior citizens).
Under the Banyan Tree: Open Air Cinema The last two films of the popular event at National Museum features old local films Madu Tiga(1964) and Bujang Lapok(1957). Be sure to catch it next friday or saturday evening. More information, visit the National Museum website.
Date: Madu Tiga -- 27 June(Fri) 8.00pm / Bujang Lapok -- 28 June (Sat) 8.00pm Venue: Stamford Garden Price: FREE!
Eeeks. Our ever hot and beloved (ok, MY ever hot and beloved) James Franco turned white trash in PINEAPPLE EXPRESS: a self-titled doper comedy about pot. Stoner Dale Denton (Seth Rogan) and his weed dealer Saul Silver (James Franco) have a run-in with the cops when Dale witnessed a murder by a corrupted cop and left his roach of Pineapple Express behind in a moment of panic. To complicate matters further, the weed is so rare that it could easily be traced back to Saul. Thus, in a typical stoner comedy plot ala H&K, the duo makes a run for their lives, with the cops and the bad guys hot on their trails.
James Franco usually wears his heroic roles well. So having watched him as James Dean, Sonny and the New Goblin, he is refreshingly funny when he's all grassy and dopey in Pineapple Express. But the movie will only be released in the states this August/local cinemas this October, so I can only judge from the trailer. Thus far, I really can't wait to watch it, but maybe that's because I'm a big sucker for stoner comedies.
TRAILER:
And here's M.I.A. for Pineapple Ex. soundtrack. I fly like a paper, get high as a plane.: M.I.A. - Paper Planes
On a final note, I was really trying to avoid this, but i realise this blog sounds obviously very estrogenized. haha.
And Happy belated World Environment Day. But remember that everyday should be environment day!
They(he) have(has) done Tak Gui, now they bring you Kwa Gui.
This will be screened when the national stadium closes, a very contradictory situation for us. Cause we are pro-conservationists and anti-advocates of tabula rasa. Yet, we're here waiting for the stadium to close so they will show this. Wait very long already.
Their last premiere was "Zo Hee" at substation last December. But we didn't get a chance to watch it. So we're patiently waiting for them to upload to youtube, but like, also wait very long already.
Watch their everything on Hosaywood.com if you haven't done so. We still like Zo Gang best.
cheesy lyrics, the crooning, the teeny-bopping, and all the light and right stuff. Something for the crazy weather, for your surfer dude oneirism, for the images of lush green rolling hills, hot beer gigs by the beach, your clear summer night stargazing fantasies. And all the lack thereof.
I'm not a fan of the sun, the bikinis, the beachy pretty people, nor the crazy summer sales. I really hate June. And its crazy weather. And more so because it seems like my entire wardrobe built over over the past 6mths suddenly seems unfit for the heat. Whatever it is, hope you're havin fun all you summer and tanning-lovin' people.
If only we could get our hands on a Photofit kit. Originating from the Brit cops in the 70s, these kits come in wooden boxes, contaning paper and transparency add-on strips with various facial features and details, such as, wrinkles and hairy moles -- very much like your primary school anatomy transparency books. Since tracking down bad guys isn't really our forte, we could perhaps use it to model a self-portrait, or an imaginary portrait of the perfect mate.
Studio8 Design got their hands on a photofit kit and has done a project with it, asking people they knew to piece together their own self-portraits and then compared it with a snapshot of the subjects for comparison. Download a full pdf set of portraits and interviews at their website.
Lulu, film's first ultimate independent and modern woman, and reckoned the most iconic film noir temptress ever made. In her most quintessential character, she played her namesake -- sensual, yet innocent Lulu -- in Pandora's Box. The film was directed by the great German expressionist director Georg Wilhelm Pabst, the only one knew how to exploit Lulu's naturalistic acting skills.
Lulu in Berlin (part 1 of 4). A rare interview with Louise Brooks by documentarian Richard Leacock and Susan Steinberg Woll.
Read Kenneth Tynan's essay, "The Girl in the Black Helmet", alluding to her famous black bob. Lulu, by the end of her life, became a writer and film critic on the silent era.
So you have heard the story on Grey Gardens and Big and Little Edie Beale -- the reclusive cousins of Jackie O. It's probably one of those films you can watch again, and again.
They're making a new movie on Grey Gardens, set to be released on silver screen in November. Stars Drew Barrymore as Little Edie, Jessica Lange as Big Eddie, and Jeanne Tripplehorn as Jackie O. The actresses seem fit for the characters respectively -- we've seen Jessica Lange enough through her twisted mother/widow roles and Jeanne Tripplehorn is perfect as Jackie O. simply because she bears so much resemblance to the first lady with her Bouvier-ish features.
But of course, nothing compares to the original.
And here's a very nice version of Rufus Wainwright's "Grey Gardens":
Happy Vesak Day. We're featuring two photography features back-to-back today.
The first, "War Photographer", a documentary film by Christian Frei that follows James Nachtwey closely to the places of Kosovo, the West Bank and Indonesia. The man had been on a personal quest for the last 25 years, documenting war-stricken terror and extreme poverty. Possessing an invisible armor of steel, follow the documentary through as Nachtwey puts himself passionately every time in the heart of the most dangerous, the dirtiest, and the most gut-wrenching of situations to capture what we wouldn't have known lest we were there ourselves. The film also traces us back to the end of the Bang Bang Club in 1994 following the death of South African photojournalist, Ken Oosterbroek, in a crossfire during the Apatheid period (pre-democracy South Africa).
Nachtwey projects a voice louder than that of his humble and reserved nature, and bigger than a personal ambition, by showing the world these images.
This is Saffron, schoolmate Tiffany's little niece.
The sassy 4-year-old of a Singaporean-Londoner mix, she has the quirkiest style for a little girl, the works of her mother no doubt, and the cutest British accent. The last time I heard, she prefers to talk to the bigger boys. Visit welovesaffron if you can't get enough of her.
The climate is gradually inching into the full effects of Summer up in the North. And the Tokyo-ians still layer it best. We have 365 days of Summer here, what's our excuse? Buck up, guys.
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