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Earlier in the month, I took a trip to the recently opened Singapore Art Museum wing 8Q SAM at 8 Queen Street. Thus came about the name for the former Catholic High School, 8Q. The building is now home for contemporary art space with fresh, multi-disciplinary, interactive and community oriented programming; a place where the public can directly experience the work and ideas of living artists, and in relation to its aesthetic and social context. 8Q SAM will support experimental art forms and is envisioned to become a crossroad of new ideas and expressions.

The inaugural exhibition 8Q-Rate: School features eight young contemporary Singaporean artists: Donna Ong, Tan Kai Syng, Jason Wee, :Phunk Studio, Jahan Loh, Grace Tan, Ahmad Abu Bakar and Chong Li-Chuan. As the title implies, 8 curators (one one whom is friend, Michelle Ho; who curated Feng Zhengjie's Primary Colours last year) worked with 8 artists, and they collectively explored on the theme of "school" in response to the site and location of 8Q which was once the Catholic High School. The artists brought us through a series of visual arts and impact us to recall the memories of our schooldays.


8Q SAM: New contemporary art space of the Singapore Art Museum, located in the former Catholic High School in 8 Queen Street

The 8Q-Rate: School exhibit was a parallel event that ran with the 2nd Singapore Biennale in 2008. It was one of the longer running exhibits and we figured we could all put it off till later. Which was a huge mistake and a reminder that good exhibits doesn't come around often enough for us to miss.

From the Bottom of my Pencil Case. 2008
:phunk studio formed in 1994 by Alvin Tan (* 1974), Melvin Chee (* 1974), Jackson Tan (* 1974) and William Chan (* 1973)


One of the pieces on show is a reconstructed half-life-sized classroom by design collective :phunk studio


Entering the room is more like a slide down Alice’s rabbit hole. Visitors have to squeeze into the miniature classroom, which has six mini tables and chairs, and a mini chalkboard

I grew up in the chalkboard years when I was in school. I remember how I enjoyed doodling when ever the teacher wasn't around. In this installation, I got to relive those days. There’s a huge chalkboard with chalks and dusters in the room, you’ll get to doodle and leave your mark, till someone erases it away with the chalky duster.

The chalkboard records every experience and memory as an imprint, yet appears to offer a clean slate each time it is wiped over. Though some words are erased, they leave a mark and a film of white dust – these fleeting memories overlap and contrast with the more permanent recollections indicated by the silkscreened text.


Contributions from Mom and Aunty Emily. A giant bird on a pony???

Oh... gone are the days... we now have whiteboards!!!

In My School Are Many Rooms. 2008
Jason Wee (1978)


A structure that recalls the paper houses burnt at Taoist funerals


At the same time the block like structures remind me of geometric toys used in early education of young toddlers

Reduced to its essence in shape and form, and unmoored from the muddled realities of its physical context, the architect’s model presents a vision of a building and suggests its potential to be realised into solid form. Meanwhile, a funeral house is an approximation of a house, as well as the house itself, yet it is also a structure that realises its full value only after it has been reduced to a pile of ash.

Let Us Walk Through the Burning House. 2008
Jason Wee


Another beautiful installation by Jason Wee with bamboo sticks

Journey of a Point to Geometry Series 14. 2008
Ahmad Abu Bakar (1963)


Flowers or Spiders?

Visual journey through school. 2008
Jahan Loh (1976)

Painting on the wall.


Didn't we all want to do this at some stage of our school life?



The things we dream and doodle...

And ending off with the most outstanding installation:

The Caretaker. 2008
Donna Ong (1978)

It's no wonder Donna Ong remain one of my most favoured local visual artists. Every piece of her artworks never fail to amaze and captivate me in the most creative and thought-provoking way.

I promised myself as a child, never to forget what it felt like to be a child - to dream and invest in the imaginary, the fantastic, the impossible. My work is about trying to keep that promise. - Donna Ong

The Caretaker's table

Through a half-opened door, one enters a small room filled with shelves, cupboards, tables and half hidden objects. It resembles a storeroom. The dim light illuminates numerous cardboard boxes stacked neatly on dusty shelves. A photograph and label on each box suggest an old doll within its secret interior, hidden away. However, all is not as it seems. Tiny ticking sounds emanate from each box, suggesting the passing of time as well as a sense of suspended animation, as if something were about to happen.



Cupboards filled with neatly labeled shoe boxes

The caretaker has been the faithful custodian and keeper of this space. Our voyeuristic journey into his world reveals a collection of personal belongings, selected, arranged and displayed in ways where stories may be discovered through our personal encounter with the objects and the sensorial experiences being evoked as we linger on in the space.

This is the historical story of the '1927 Doll Exchange'
In January 1927, missionary Dr. Sidney Gulick (1860-1945) hatched a plan to sow the seed of peace between the children of America and Japan. He organised his countrymen to send American dolls to Japan for Hinamatsuri, an annual Doll Festival, in which Japanese families display handcrafted dolls and pray for the wellbeing of their daughters. This project had an overwhelming response from the American public, and altogether, 12,739 of these "American Blue-eyed Dolls" were sent to Japanese schools, each with an accompanying letter professing friendship.

The dolls were greeted with delight by children and communities across Japan and in return, 2.6 million Japanese raised funds to make 58 32-inch high dolls each wearing a unique kimono. The dolls arrived in America and toured the nation as symbols of peace between the two great powers.

Sadly during World War II, many of the dolls, especially the ones in Japan, were seen as enemy icons and were burned or stabbed. Many people saved dolls by hiding them until the war was over.

If not for Donna Ong's installation, I would never have come to know of this wonderful piece of history which today is just a mere footnote in the annuals of international relations.

I left the room feeling both spooked by the creepy setting and enlightened by what I've learnt.

More 8Q Rate: School Pictures

Bunnatz sings the Beatles' "Black Bird"

Wendy was totally inspired by Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe" which was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy in the 2007's Golden Globe's Award.
Bombarded by all The Beatles tunes from the movie, she decided that she will have Bunnatz sing "Black Bird"!

Totally cracked me up! LOL!!!

Finally caught the 2nd installment of John Woo's Red Cliff yesterday. Kenny was catching the Rob Coleman's talk on CG Yoda in the evening, so we decided to catch the earlier 2:15pm screening. Perhaps it was the Chinese New Year Weekend cause the cinema was packed!

I sneaked in a fresh Superdog bacon and cheese. Topped it with lots of mustard and munched on it as the movie started. It was heavenly!

I wished the USD$80 million Woo squeal was as good. As promised, he did deliver one of the biggest epic battle in Chinese cinema, and probably also one of the biggest mess in cinematic war history! There were fireballs, crashing rocks, swamps of arrows and a whole lot of sword fighting. Half the time (after watching almost 4 hours in both sequels), I still can't quite figure out who is who. I came to understand that historically the movie was far from being accurate, both in casting of the characters and depicting of the story.

With all it's short comings, this movie was still a necessary watch to complete the sequel. But I honestly cannot stop comparing the scenes and characters to those of Peter Jackson's 'Lord Of The Rings':


The warriors - Zhao Zhi Long and Aragorn on horseback. Just put on that armour gear, superhero cape and dress the animal up with some combat bells and whistles!


Legolas and Sun Quan both take on the bow and arrow


The fair maidens Xiao Qiao and Arwen. It's always that innocent looking girl next door with big eyes and flowing hair!


The rough and the tough - Gimli and Kong Rong. Mess up the hair, grow a bread and keep those thick bushy eyebrows!


The evil Cao Cao looked almost like Saruman at the end of the battle with this hair all let down. Except for the fact that one's black and the other white

Do you blame me?!?!

The chef in me really digs this 'game'?!?! What do you call it? An 'interactive recipe guide' on a gaming console?!?!

With over 250 recipes segmented by 30 countries worldwide, calories and cooking time; there's bound to be a dish that will stir up your appetite. When a dish is selected, you can pick put the groceries you need to purchase and it will generate a shopping list. Bring your NDS to the supermarket and start ticking off the checklist when you drop them into you basket! Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!

The best part about Personal Trainer Cooking is that every recipe has a complete voice over which will guide you step by step when you are actually cooking! Video clips are also available for more detailed instructions. If you're worried about dirty, oily hands touching your precious NDS during the cooking process (which anally, I do...), the program activates on voice commands to move to the next step!


Even Lisa Kudrow loves it! And sure, it's a commercial which she gets paid tons on!


Screens from Personal Trainer Cooking

Most importantly, it makes cooking FUN! And why I really think the touch screen and mic on the NDS totally RAWKS!

It's been a while since I spent time at the pool after my shift. I miss having the convenience of a casual dip whenever I fancy at my doorstep. But I've resumed swimming both at Fi's condo at The Pearl and Jas' condo at Sunglade.

The Pearl has a wonderful 50m (Olympic size), no frills lap pool. Rectangular in shape and fantastic for serious swimming. Sunglade on the other hand is a beautiful lifestyle pool. There is a decent narrow stretch in the adult pool section for swimming up and down, but I can imagine the congestion when the place get crowded. In compensation, there are 4 cold jacuzzi corners, 2 of which you can lie down for a full back jet massage. There is also an artificial waterfall, great for resting under and allowing the strong, cold falling waters massage your shoulders. But the highlight of the pool has got to be it's beach section. Would be lovelier if it had real sand on the floor like in Hard Rock Cafe Hotel, Bali!

I finally took out my Quicksilver Synchro Hyperstretch 1mm Wetsuit (purchased in Sydney after World Youth Day 08') out for a dip. Had intended it for kayaking trips, but I've since done none! Still, the light weight material made it wonderful even for swims in a regular pool.


Quicksilver Synchro Hyperstretch 1mm Wetsuit with warranty card and tags


I particularly like the design imprinted at the back

Quiksilver Syncro Hyperstretch

- The next generation of the Syncro series welcomes 100% superstretch neoprene
- Utilizing a combination of Hyperstretch and Freemax Superstretch neoprene provides the most high performance entry level suit on the market
- Superlite Thermo Foam Body
- Lighter Weight, absorbs less water
- Flat Lock Stitch
- High end comfort and durability

My Zen Garden is finally coming together very nicely. No longer do we have an unmanageable "forest"! The sound of running water is sweet music to the ears and heart. Wonderful to enjoy on a cool, breezy night and a hot cup of tea in hand. Mom & Dad also purchased a set of hand crafted Indonesian teak furniture to match.


The centre piece highlight is the Tower Water Feature. Three blocks of sandstone-like bricks with internal lighting and waterproofed spotlights for mood in the night


At the far end is a Japanese stone lantern with a couple of small stone boulders. That corner will look pretty when the bougainvillea grows taller and more luscious

Putting together the garden:

Picking out the water feature design. This is the mock set-up that we picked


The workers laying out pearl grass


Installing the water feature

I've yet to lay out a bonsai corner and displaying out the potted plants. Not decided - a spice garden for the backyard.

I knew it was a matter of time that I'll develop green fingers; but my Zen Garden project has sped up the process! The day will come when I'll actually rip the harvest of fresh greens and produce from my very own garden!

More Zen Garden Pictures

A sneak peak of the actual unit at 重庆 阳光100 (Chongqing Sunshine 100).


Pathway toward my block. Chongqing is strategically positioned at the head of the reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam. Take a stroll overlooking the city, the Yangtze (长江) and Jialing (嘉陵江) River.


Entrance of the block of bright striking colours of fresh yellow and green. Block is just 1km away from the


Lobby area


Entering the 2 bedroom unit. Looking from the spacious dinning and living area to the balcony and view. My unit gets an extra bay area as part of the exterior design extending the total space area


Huge window of the master bedroom with an attached bathroom


Excellent view of the Yangtze River upstream and New City from the balcony. On the left (in a distance) is the Chongqing Opera House in construction


Video of the view

See the apartment unit's showflat video

More Chongqing Sunshine 100 Apartment Pictures

I think at the end of playing Wii Music to death, I can cut an album on the top rated or most popular Wii Music MTVs I created!

After completing a set of Style Lesson and another in Rock Jam Mastery Lesson from Maestro Tute, all songs (except for the Super Mario Bros. Theme) and instruments were unlocked. Suddenly a whole bunch of pop music titles such as Madonna's "Material Girl", Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go", Kylie Minogue's "Locomotion", and Police's "Every Breath You Take" are available for play!


All Stars in "La Bamba" with a Latino twist!
Featuring Racoon on Jazz Drums, Neo (from the Matrix) on the Clickers (if only Keanu Reeves can dance like that for real!), Cat Woman on the Trumpet, Mr T. (from the A Team) on Bass Guitar, V (from V for Vendetta) on Percussions and Batman on Vocals!


"Every Breath You Take" in Classical!
The girls take on Police's "Every Breath You Take" in all orchestral glory!
Dawnstarr on Cello, Happybutt on Rhythm Violin, Celeste on Piano and Racoon on Lead Violin

I honestly love this rendition of the Police classic. Brings a whole new feel to the song. Of all the instruments, I spent the most time on the piano. And I love how toward the end, there's this cosmic explosion and Celeste blows out hearts!

This film is what many are calling the "Juno" of 2008! And rightfully so, cause Danny Boyle has brought to screen yet another remarkable film that leaves you heartily smiling at the end.

"Slumdog Millionaire"'s recent Golden Globe Best Motion Picture (Drama) win escalated my desire to catch the film. I'd watch it regardless, simply because I've adored Boyle since days of "Shallow Grave". "Trainspotting" and "Millions" remain the few of my favourite films ever.

If there's anything Boyle does best, if giving his audience a life-affirming and believable character to fall in love with. And since "Millions", I've come to know him as a fabulous child director. There's no pretense, no over the top exaggeration.

And all those 'shitty' episodes; remembering the toilet scene from "Trainspotting" are pure classics!

This time he dwells deep into the cultural and artistic appreciation for Mumbai and Bollywood's traditions, yet lensed the story with a respectful Western eye. And perhaps too much so for the commercial viewer. The colours and beat of India were masterfully displayed throughout the film. However, as stereotyped as the story plot was, it was an amazing journey with Salim and Jamal.


Nothing speaks a true blue Indian film better then a big song and dance number. This was so out of place, it totally cracked me up! Plus it really made Jamal (Dev Patel) really cool!

It's been a while since I enjoyed something as genuine on the big screens. As far as I can remember, 2008 wasn't a hit year for me in the cinemas. There were probably a handful of films that left an impression - "The Dark Knight" (but I'm bias here cause of Christian Bale), "Wall-E"... maybe "Iron Man"; and I'm a little disappointed in the selection of indie, art house or local films released. Even the Singapore International Film Festival 2008 didn't wow. But already, I'm excited about the line up for 2009. I'll be starting my journey to the OSCARS!

With a title like "Australia", a canvas of the Great South Lands, an Oscar nominated director, a story about the Aboriginals' Stolen Generations and HUGE financial support from the Australian government; Baz Luhrmann's latest 3 hour epic film should have wowed. The film was expected to be the next "Gone With The Wind"; a cinematic experience of romance, drama, adventure and spectacle! It turned out to be the very opposite of what it set out to be. Coming in close to what Michael Bay did with "Pearl Harbour", Baz Luhrmann literally took "Australia" DOWN UNDER! Even the ultra sexy, Hugh Jackman; couldn't save the film for me.

"Australia" was disappointing in many ways. Of which, the Baz Luhrmann movie-making magic which I've enjoyed in what critics site as the Red Curtain Trilogy (a 'curtain' style of film making devised by Luhrmann to actively promote audience participation) seemed to have fizzled away. I couldn't help but compare "Australia"'s plot to Sydney Pollack's "Out Of Africa". Australia vs. Africa, The Great Outback vs. The African Safari, Coffee Plantation vs. Cow Range, Danish Woman vs. English Woman, Game Hunter vs. Drover... you see where I'm getting at? Saying all these, I really want to catch "Out Of Africa" again.

The characters were one dimensional, with the exception of King Carney (Bryan Brown); but his role in the film was too small to make any significant impact. After the Singapore Chinese drama series "The Little Nonya" (which I caught at most 3 episodes), I thought I wouldn't catch a storyline as predictable. I was awfully wrong! I truly enjoyed the 1st half of the film, but as soon as the fat cheeky bulls were guided up the bloody metal ship, I was yawning in tears. The sub plot on the Stolen Generations was so casually portrayed it left me frustrated toward the end. Historically, I really wanted to learn more.

This movie could have been great...

Besides Jackman (slurp) kudos to the Costume Dept. for some awesome looking outfits. And for Jackman - 2 sizes too small (slurp x3)

Costumes from Vogue Magazine:

It's the time of the year for us to take a stroll down Chinatown to soak in everything RED! RED Lanterns, RED Melon Seeds, RED Auspicious Decorations, RED buds of Pussy Willows, RED boxes of Bak Kuah (barbecued pork)...

I originally suggested to have soya chicken noodles for dinner along Cross Street, but the shop had already closed when we arrived. We ended up tucking into Sarawak Kolo Mee, which I found very average.

My Chinatown Walk-about Solo Mission: Get my Happy Plant - the "Huang Jin Guo" or "Golden Fruit". Which apparently was the same mission last year.


Perhaps due to a quick passing shower earlier in the evening, the narrow streets of Mosque Street, Pagoda Street, Temple Street and Smith Street were not sardined with shoppers picking up festive goodies


Lions on the ledge!


Year of the GOLDEN CALF! MoooOOOooo


Our fascination with Coconut Nurse, Coconut Tinkle Bell and Coconut Bandit at a Coconut drink seller's store


Wall of WAX - waxed ducks, sausages and liver


Arch across New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street. Celeste commented that a couple of days back, a giant Orange decoration fell off and someone was rolling the orange along New Bridge Road?!?!

Toward the end of the night, we only found 1 shop selling the Happy Plant. The plant had just arrived and was literally a TREE! The boss wanted to sell me the entire TREE for SGD$128! Then later, SGD$38 for 2 branches. Don't think I'll be very 'happy' forking out near SGD$40 when in previous years, I get them for under SGD$20.

More Chinatown Chinese New Year 2009 Pictures

Here you go Junnie Moonie... Bunnatz speaks good Japanese ;P
PS. BTW, what Greek was that?

One of Happybutt and Racoon's first LP.
My Grandfather's Clock - Happybutt did a wonderful job on the violin and I'm just the jumpy maracas shaker!


Daydream Believer by Racoon & the Quarts

If we can't play in a band for real, we'll do it Mii way on Nintendo's Wii Music
The whole Ching Gang jamming to the theme of 'The Legends of Zelda'.
Happybutt on Snare Drum, Den on the Tuba, Celeste on Harp, Danger on Gong Bass Drum, Dawnstarr on Piano and Racoon on Trumpet


Fredrik Larsson plays unplugged 'Wind Waker' from 'The Legends of Zelda'. Doesn't this make you think how you would lay your tracks in Wii Music?

Countdown to 2009 at Clarke Quay's Carnival. The atmosphere and crowd really built up toward the count down at midnight. We even had a great view of the Marina Bay Fireworks. That was really a bonus!

It's hard to believe that we've finally closed up the year of 2008. And what a wonderful year it has been; a year of plentiful blessings, lots of new experiences, challenges and a few bags full of fun.

I'll come to remember 2008 as an all rounder year:

In WORK. Where I've taken on more leadership roles and witnessed the hardwork of the team being recongnised and paid-off. I've come to learn that it's not in every company that you can build good working relationships, with similar goals and work attitude. I'm thankful for a great team.
With the sharp dip in the economy after the second half of the year, work in the new year will be tough; but there's still a lot of new initiatives and improvements that await.

In the NEW. Yes, there are so many new takes in 2008. The one with the most impact had to be saying goodbye to a home I practically grew up in and had come to love with all my heart. It wasn't an easy process to pick up and move, but we did. I've since settled into my new environment quite comfortably. Things are still being fixed up around... I'm still learning to adjust, but it's all good.

I've finally picked up GOLF (a sport which I've always appreciated) and another totally unexpected one - FENCING. Which to my surprise I really enjoyed during my 8 weeks of training. Even had a rare chance to fence with an Olympic fencer! And as a promise to myself in 2007, I did my 1st 10km Marathon at the Standard Chartered Marathon 2008. It's a small step to hopefully longer marathon runs to come.

Opera! Now who would have ever thought. Never in my wildest dreams (if I even dream) would I ever thought I would attend an opera performance, much less actually ENJOY the music. I am a total convert and now speak of opera music with much gusto.

In the RARE. I heard the sexy crooning of Harry Connick Jr., danced and jumped with Planet Shakers, watched AVENUE Q, which I thought would never make it to the stage of our conservative nation; and nearly burst my ear drums with the engines at Singapore's 1st F1 Night Race.

In FUN. Let's see, I had 'Guitar Hero III', 'Wii Fit' and now 'Wii Music'. Countless hours of hilarious laughter. Jumping onto the bandwagon just before the year came to an end was Wendy, who finally decided to join the Wii Family. Recalling Kenny, Adrian & Frances and Bernard & Lisa all took the plunge following after my initial purchase in 2007.

In SPIRIT. I am thankful for the fact that despite all the crazy, busy schedules; I managed to put aside time for service back to the One whose given me everything; my entire being. For the gift to be part of World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. For the gift to know and share Jesus every day of my life.

I love 2008 for so many things; for my Nabaztag Bunnatz, for my Bushnells, for the Singapore Biennale 2008, for shopping at Dongdaemun in Korea and getting drunk at the Halloween Bus Tour... do I really love this?!?! or did I love the fact I went as Black Mumba?

But most of all, for the people in my lives that have touched, inspired, taught and laughed with me all through 2008. I cannot be more grateful.

I've decided some years back not to be bothered with a New Year's Resolution, and it has worked well enough for me. There's a counter effect on having a list of things that doesn't always get done. I've come to realise that if something is important enough for you to get done... you will make time for it... you will get it done. If someone is important enough for you, you will make time... you will develop the relationship.

In more ways then one, there is a lot to be hopeful for in the new year; but more importantly, there's more to be JOYFUL.

May the JOY of our Lord fill your hearts in 2009!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" - Philippians 4:4