Whirlwind Days

Gahdamn, it’s been a crazy year so far.

Just been getting myself involved in so many projects both commercial and personal. And I’m starting to painfully rule out the incorporation of ‘rest’ from my current lifestyle. Being the natural lazy person that I am, it’s bizarre how I would now choose productivity over sloth had I been forced to make a preference. In such a competitive industry like entertainment however, we’re all eventually conditioned to keep ourselves on our toes at our own accord. Do you smell the sweet incense of tragedy in the air?

Last week saw the first official screening of my short film ‘Baby The Rain Will Fall’ which was a highlight at Creative United Movement’s ‘Unite and Shoot’ filmmaking gathering at my current favorite haunt in town, Palate Palette. To those who came, thank you for your support from the bottom of my heart. The response was overwhelming, so much so that some people had to end up watching the film from the stairs coming up to the screening room! One of my directors Adrian is looking at getting out some DVD copies to leave at the café for free. If you’re interested in getting a copy, let me know and I’ll see what I can arrange. We sincerely hope that Unite and Shoot will establish the beginnings of groundbreaking filmmaking projects in Malaysia. Check out Creative United Movement at http://www.creativeunitedmovement.com/


The top floor of Palate Palette packed to the brim

Over the weekend, I attended most engaging acting workshop at the National Arts Academy. It was facilitated by renowned Japanese theatre practitioner, Hideki Noda. There was a lot of group and partner work involved. I was expecting more solo work, but realized how important it was to be aware of other performers sharing the stage with you. Very eye opening.

It was this same weekend that I also did two shoots - one was for the inaugural Malaysian edition of socialite magazine Sur La Terre. It being my first magazine cover ever, I’m honestly very nervous about how that will turn out. It should be released mid-April, so keep an eye out for it at newsstands.


Getting my hair did at KLCC park, in a shirt I can only dream of affording

Later that day was another shoot which was a collaboration with my mate Johnny McGeorge who needed a model for a brand concept proposal. Despite dealing with relatively unfamiliar resources, J managed to cut a superbly slick shoot that showed me in a light even I have never seen myself in. I’m excited to see his final selection of shots, and with his permission I‘ll upload them on this page. The bloke is phenomenal. Check out his work at http://www.jayemmcee.com/.

On Monday, I shot a milk product TV commercial for the Vietnamese market. I portrayed the mother to the boy protagonist. I arrived on set at 8am, but was only needed at 5.30pm, and I barely shot for half an hour! Strangely enough, it didn’t feel like a day wasted at all - all the kid talents that day were the most well-behaved and professional young bunch I’ve ever dealt with! My ‘son’ Chadman was a real trooper, cooperative and so adorable I wanted to take him home. And I just ate and drank all day which inadvertently kept my energy levels up - we’re talking about potato chips, isotonic drinks, iced lemon tea, Ribena, breakfast cereal, chocolate, biscuits, candy - admittedly, this was all stolen from the cooler box reserved for the kids. And that’s not even mentioning breakfast, lunch and tea yet! As you may have noticed, I take my gluttony very seriously.


Me showing my 'son' Chadman how to give me the biggest hug he's got!

What’s next for me? Well, I’ll be guest model for a fashion event next week at Club Twenty One, on 2nd April. The monthly series called Fashfab will this time feature an upcoming designer called Micky Tan. The collection she’s presenting will be full of colourful, floaty and fanciful pieces. I hope I will do her brand justice! For those who are interested, check out this event on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=59349858436&ref=ts

What I’m most excited about right now that I’ve just been selected to participate in an exclusive and very intensive 3-week Shakespearean workshop at KL Performing Arts Centre. I’ve always had an inherent fear of Shakespeare simply because it was something beyond my comprehension, but all the more reason why I decided to take it on. And like what ballet is to dance, Shakespeare pretty much forms the foundation of excelling in theatre. So last Friday, I auditioned for it before Joe Hasham, one of the biggest names in Malaysian theatre and a man whose presence always leaves my stomach bursting with anxiety. I thought I bombed, but he assured me I did alright. And I never expected to get a phonecall of confirmation of my placement 3 days later! It will be conducted by Australian veteran performer and director Jeff Kevin. There will be a workshop performance on 24-26 April at KLPac. I am super psyched for the challenge.

Can you believe that I’ve primarily narrated about what has transpired over the past 7 days?

And to think that I have a full time job in event management too.

Part of me just wants to fall sick so I have an excuse to not. move. at. all.