Am I a Typical or Atypical Singaporean?

I have always been proud to be a Singaporean. Generally, Singaporeans are typically “kiasu”, meaning afraid to lose (out) and speak Singlish. Well, I admit I possess the aforementioned traits, but there are times that call for them, and times that do not. I mean, who likes to miss out on a good deal? I, for one, do not. Who does not want the latest Hello Kitty plush toy? Hmm, actually, I do not. That is why I say that for me at the very least, it is a case-to-case basis.

The same can be said for speaking Singlish. I do speak in that infamous slang, but I also “code switch”, to an adequate extent, to “proper English” when the occasion arises. Code switching seems more and more commonplace these days anyway, and it allows me to preserve my heritage as a true blue Singaporean, yet allows me access to shine on the global stage with the universal English language.

I will turn twenty-three in half a year’s time. When I was younger, I could not wait to grow up and lead my own life. But standing at where I am today, there are times when I could not help but wish that I am still around the age of the majority of my classmates. There are plenty of those around my age who have yet to accomplish anything, and this segment largely comprises of those who do not know what they want in life, or lack the drive, motivation, desire or whatsoever to go for it.

I was like that once, a couple of years back. But fortunately, I realigned myself with my interest in passion and here I am now, studying in Ngee Ann Polytechnic and writing this reflection for Storytelling Techniques. I would not say if I feel that I am a typical or atypical Singaporean. I feel that I am somewhere in the middle. But if you ask me to take a side, I feel that I am more of a typical Singaporean. Now, would you tell me which camera shop has a 50% storewide discount?

My Story Draft One

It’s been a while since I posted here. I don’t think that any of you people actually still visit it. Anyway, this may be a little late, due to “an act of God” (metaphorically speaking), but here is my final assignment draft one. Please read it and give me your feedback and comments. Help me improve by providing me with constructive critique please! Thanks!

What Has The World Come To?

Well, I actually wanted to reflect on something else. But I attempted my Visual Trigger assignment and found that it was more like a reflection than an actual piece of writing for the homework, so I decided to share it as a reflection instead, and work on another piece of writing altogether.

Credits go to “versatile” from ClubSnap

The above photograph was posted recently on ClubSnap, the authoritative photography forum that boasts the largest population of local photography enthusiasts, with several members from as far as Australia and beyond.

The shot was taken at the recently concluded Big Boys Toyz 2006. It is essentially a motorshow, with a lot of other attractions factored in, such as hot babes clad in bikinis, and even a “mud fight” between some of them, in a cordoned area filled with nothing but muddy water. Hardly what I will call a mud fight, and yet nowhere near a crystal clear swimming pool.

A picture says a thousand words. What does the one above tell you? Does it tell you that Singapore has many avid photographers? Or does it convey to you that a motorshow has subject(s) so photogenic that no matter you are a teenager, a working professional in your twenties, or a middle-aged man, you simply cannot miss it? The equipment involved is not of concern here. Everybody just seems to want to take a few, (more like a few hundred), JPEG files home for memories or other undesirable intentions.

The aforementioned photograph has evoked strong emotions and triggered my thoughts about a certain popular category of events.

A motorshow is well, an automobile show, isn’t it? It is an event where hot-blooded males attend to ogle at fast cars, while ladies grace to fantasise riding in one, isn’t it?

Well, times definitely seem to have changed, a lot. I said a lot and I mean a real big difference. Nowadays, attend any motorshow and chances are, you see hot-blooded males turn up more to ogle at “SWTs” (sweet young things, although the majority of them hardly qualify to be titled that), and not cars. They are there for the “race queens” and automobile models, not the cars! Oh, I have yet to mention, even “ah peks” in their fifties or sixties are there just to ogle at the race queens!

Worse still, are the hordes of photographers, professional and non-professional alike, who tout their DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex), PnS (point-and-shoot, also known as compact) and handphone cameras, snapping away relentlessly. What is worse is that the majority of them are not taking photographs of the cars, but the models “on-display”.

What has the world come to? I understand that the race queens are part of the crowd-pullers, but shouldn’t the main attractions be the cars? I am not sure if it’s a social norm for Singapore nowadays, or if it is just me.

Oh, by the way, although I have no means of proving it right now, even the ladies are shooting the race queens and models nowadays! I guess it’s time for me to sit back and reflect more…

Oh, and one last thing, as a photographer, I guess I am somewhat guilty as well, though I shot at neither the aforementioned event, nor the Singapore Motor Show, which dropped its curtains in mid-November. Perhaps it’s just our primal instincts… Hmm…

Attached below are two more pictures that I feel convey the same story to me, though perhaps in a slightly differing manner.

Credits go to “Kensuke” and “sugary88″ from ClubSnap respectively.

Week Eight Reflections!

Well, here I am again, sharing the on-goings in class. Class started with a feedback session of sorts on the audio dialogue assignment. One common difficulty we all had was finding a suitable host to upload the audio file to. Being the first class in the week to have storytelling lesson meant we spent a substantial amount of time troubleshooting. Eventually, I remembered a host, and tried it. Fortunately, for everyone, it worked and some of us uploaded the files there. But this was only after we have finished our sharing of the assignment.

Ryan asked for our feedback on the assignment. He asked if those of us who do not come from “nuclear families” find this assignment harder. He also wanted to know how we thought of it and whether it was a feasible assignment to incorporate into the syllabus in future.

Something else surfaced during class. Most of us did not use either of our parents to record the audio dialogue, though we were supposed to. I too, did not employ the help of my parents, as they are Mandarin speaking, and know limited spoken English.

After that, we watched Terminal Bar, a documentary set in New York City. It is about this bar situated opposite a bus terminal and the different types of people, usually derelicts and the like, that the owner (or bar manager) saw at the bar, and how they gradually change over the years.

He took photographs of them, and over the years, as he snapped more of their portraits, he realised how much they have changed. The documentary also tells me two things. Firstly, alcohol (and drugs, where applicable) really deteriorates your health rapidly, and this can be seen from how much your appearance has changed. Secondly, New York City is a scary place to live in. Bus terminals were (and probably still are) the seediest places in the city, and nobody would actually bat an eyelid even if they saw corspes on the sidewalks or pavements. They would just get on with their lives, seemingly oblivious that somebody has died on the streets.

I suppose it is part of culture shock as well. Imagine if somebody drops dead on the streets. You will see a crowd gathering around the body instantly. Everybody just wants to “kaypoh” and see who it is. Such is the stark contrast of living in different countries, different cities, different cultures.

I shudder at the thought of how cold the New Yorkers may seem to be. But I also realise that death on the streets is such commonplace in NYC that it does not affect them emotionally and pscyhologically anymore. It makes me think about where I would want to live, if I do not intend to continue living in Singapore one day…

You can find my notes here.

Singapore Rock!

I met my beloved for people photography around the “dangerous” Chinatown in the afternoon. Why people photography? Well, we have an assignment on people photography for our photography module. Why dangerous? Well, most of you should know that generally, the older generation are “camera-shy”. Some of them can even be “camera-aggressive”! We threaded with great care.

Well, the evening was a much more lively affair. My beloved tagged along to an event co-organised by the organisation I volunteer with. Another great opportunity for people photography, I told her.

The event was named “Singapore Rock” (I do not know why, so please do not ask me). It was organised for the elderly who stay in the 1-room and 2-room apartments along North Bridge Road. Well, these are the elderly who do not shy away from the camera. In fact, most of them will pose for you!

We had many difficulties trying to cover the event as it was held between 5.00 to 10p.m. and the lighting was really difficult to work with. But anyway, I still netted a handful of shots that I am pretty proud of.

Well, this post is getting really long. But 1 last thing to share with you guys is the affinity I have with this particular “auntie”. She is definitely one of the most lively residents in the area. Somehow, she is the subject of my favourite photo in both “Singapore Rock” and another previous event held way back in February! I do not know why, but it just seems that I have a special connection with her (not the kind you silly people are thinking of right now). Well, she just seemed to be enjoying at both events so much!

Here are the photos of her. Do comment and let me know how you think of them.

           

Click on the pictures for a larger image.

Week Seven Reflections!

In this week’s lesson, we discussed the differences between a memory and an experience. We also watched a local short film titled “Autograph Book” by Wee Li Lin, which can be found in the compilation “Singapore Shorts”. We then discussed the function of dialogue in the above film, before Ryan started the slideshow filled with notes on dialogue. Once again, I was overwhelmed by what dialogue can do and what impact it can create. The purpose of dialogue in a film can be so extraordinary, and proposes to me the fact that screenwriting is getting more difficult by the week! You can find all the aforementioned references in my notes here.

Well, I figured that perhaps I should change the style and contents of my reflections, and I hope this new approach will seem more appealing to most of you. In fact, as an incentive (I hope Ryan does not mind), I will be posting a few pictures every week (if I can) to share with you people. Now, my blog will become a photo-blog of sorts.

I went around campus shooting some landscape pictures on Wednesday, while waiting for my beloved to finish her classes. Two whole hours of her brother’s D50 in my hands proved to be quite heavenly. The sky and cloud formations were really gorgeous and I embarked on a “tour” around the school compound. I even bumped into Ryan twice in an hour or less. Well, I have digressed.

Here are 2 of the photos I shot in school last Wednesday.

           

Weeks Five and Six Reflections!

Sorry for the late post. I was bogged down by tons of work, in school and out of it. Well, here are my 2 weeks’ worth of reflections consolidated into one post.

Week 5

We started class with a debate of sorts on Aristotle’s theory: if plot was indeed more important than character in a story. Personally, I think both are important. But I do agree to a certain extent that the character is more important than the plot. It is usually harder to hatch a strong plot that can compensate for a weak character, whereas a strong character may be able to substantiate a weak plot.

Ryan then shared with us the cause-and-effect chain should there be an absence of a character. We were also given guidelines on how to create a strong 3-dimensional character; paying attention to meticulous details on the character’s physiology, sociology and psychology, as well as his/her “interior” and “exterior” are crucial.

The lesson was heavy in content and it also bothers me how hard it is to actually conceptualise a 3-dimensional character. There are simply too many facets we need to take note of! We were also shown a small segment of a masterpiece of Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver, and watched how he created a 3-dimensional character in less than 10 minutes of screentime. Oh my god! It makes me wonder if I will ever be capable of it.

We then watched a short film by Francois Truffaut, of Day For Night fame, the movie we watched in week 1 during Introduction to Film. Les Mistons, his short film made in 1957. The lesson ended after the screening as we did not have sufficient time to discuss it.

You can find my week 5 notes here.

Week 6

We started Week 6 with a discussion of Les Mistons, which we watched at the end of our previous week’s lesson. We had a discussion on the “virginal heart” as well as what we have inferred from the film.

Week 6’s lesson, in my opinion, was an emotional and highly-tensed one for most people. We were divided in to small groups of 3 to 4, and asked to share our Letters to the Past. At the same time, we were also asked to give constructive critique to our peers on how they can improve on their letters. Well, the comment I received from Kane on my letter was that it stated everything, rather than involve the reader emotionally. Well, that is true, and I had mixed feelings while writing. I guess I was holding something back. Well, I guess I have to hit the canvas again.

We also watched a short film, Intransit. I think that it is an artistic and abstract film as we have to infer quite a number of details. But I feel that this is also quite a fresh approach, as we are not spoonfed details and information. Instead, we feel compelled to discuss about it and share our views.

We also learned to write for an audience. We learned that the writer is a very powerful character as he is the one who connects multiple elements such as their vision, the material available as well as drama. Other than the aforementioned, we also learned that we should look inside ourselves for a story. We just need to find out how to connect to it.

Well, that’s all for this reflection. I will change the style I write my reflections soon! Stay tuned. Cheers!

You can find my week 6 notes here.

Week Four Reflections!

For Week 4’s tutorial class, the only thing we did was watching Elections, a circa 1999 film. Ryan asked us to evaluate whether the said film qualifies as a “Greek Tragedy”. The story tells the tale of and connections between an overachiever Tracy Flick and a teacher in her high school Jim McAllister. The former is played by Reese Witherspoon and the latter, Matthew Broderick.

I think the film does qualify as a “Greek Tragedy”. However, I think that it is partially marred by what I consider a slightly episodic character, Tammy. Tammy is Paul Metzler’s adopted sister and a delinquent of sorts. I feel that she is not really part of the cause-and-effect chain, therefore quite incoherent, though some may argue that she does contribute to it.

In the film, Tracy and Jim wound up to have very different lives in the end. Although Tracy did not manage to win the presidency of the student governing body she was running for, she continued to strive and at the end of the film, we saw that she was a successful career woman. Jim, on the other hand, became a blue-collar worker after he brought about his own downfall, from a morally upright and honest teacher to a despicable one. He conspired and meddled with the presidency elections so that Tracy, who was poised to win, lost by a single marginal vote. He had an affair with his best friend’s wife, who told on him, leading to his divorce.

As time goes on, he went from hero to zero. From a much-respected teacher who won awards for three years out of his twelve years in the high school, he became one whom nobody looked up to. He was also unlucky, as we saw him get stung by a bee above his right eye.

The events that happened showcased the cause-and-effect chain, how a hero in the film, in this case, Jim, suffered misfortunes, intentionally. I mean, how often does somebody get stung by a bee directly above his right eye? Another obvious factor that it was a “Greek Tragedy” was because according to Aristotle, “the protagonist should be prosperous and renowned” (in the beginning), so that the change in his life and fortunes can be from good to bad.

Well, that is all for this week. Stay tuned for next week’s reflections from class and other rants (if available)! Cheers!

Week Three Reflections!

Week 3’s lesson was a whole new different ball game. The lesson was carried out in a different manner. Instead of Ryan feeding us with most of the curricular information, we were supposed to present our research to the class in groups. The class was divided into groups and each group was supposed to research on a different aspect of Aristotle’s theory on “Greek Tragedy”.

But before we got down to presenting, we did some sharing and reflection on our homework for weeks one and two. Some of the openers tossed out into the open were funny while some others were sinister in nature… We were also supposed to write a story using one of the openers from our partners. A couple of stories were read out loud and we were asked to give constructive critiques.

I noticed some common mistakes amongst the stories, the most ubiquitous one being the use of past tense. Although I try my very best not to commit this fundamental mistake, I still did, in one of my 50-word stories assignment. Well, it seems that I have to work harder and more meticulously on my future assignments.

Ryan also shared what he thought of our homework. He brought up the point that one of the stories took far too long to develop, and this should not be the case. He also reiterated the point that we should always take note of the tense used in the story.

For our homework due week 4, we were asked to people watch! Cool! I always people watch when I chill out with my friends at Spinelli at The Heeren on Saturday and/or Sunday. I always observe people walking past or just the patrons of Spinelli. But I have never given much thought to what I can infer from their behaviour and mannerism. I did not think about what kind of people they are. Normally, it is very hard for us to get a table in the smoking area on weekends. Call it tough luck or just plain coincidence, strangely, only 2 to three tables were occupied when I arrived on Sunday. As a result, I only managed to work on 1 subject that day (he was the only 1 that I can gather enough information on).

Well, I am really looking forward to the next storytelling class (no, I’m not kissing your butt Ryan). I am really excited about what new assignment we are going to work on this week. There are limitless possibilities and I hope it is a fun and cool assignment!
You can find my Aristotle Notes here.

Week Two Reflections!

Alright, this will be quite a short entry as we did not have class time together. Tuesday was Hari Raya. Well, most people were enjoying their holiday and taking their well-deserved breaks. Sadly, this was not so for me. I woke up at 5am in the morning as I was supposed to photograph my friend’s wedding ceremony and lunch banquet. It was ironic because I was sad having to wake up so early and “burned” my break. At the same time, I was happy to see him happily married.

Enough of digression. I think missing one session of class time in Storytelling puts us at disadvantage. Not only did we lose whatever valuable content we could have learnt, we also did not get the opportunity to start our research on Aristotle and discussed about the presentation (I heard from a friend in another class they were given time to start researching in class). To make it worse, we do not have lectures for Storytelling. Well, I sure hope that we can cover whatever we have lost in class. I do not want to lack behind! =(

Edited 30 Oct 06 : My completed story for my buddy’s openers can be found here.