Dear Friend

"I have been missing this buddy for months. Her decision to join the acceleration class made us separated. I am still in high school while she has continued her studies at NAFA. She's adorable in my eyes yeah bcs of her kindness and talents. I think she's kind of a perfect friend to me. Having a 6 year of friendship feels like a grateful thing for me. We're so far yet we still keep in touch. Hope that she never stray from the true path as she continue her dreams."

A friend back home wrote this to me. Words couldn't explain how surprised I am by what she thinks of me. A dear friend she is. I miss her silliness and caring for others. I can't wait to see her again in December. It's still a long time to go but still the thought of seeing her again makes it worth the wait (:

Sounds gay-ish? Cheesy? That's the kind of friends we are. LOL

yep this is her, the petite friend of mine.

Gallery View

This is a piece by Joey Soh, who is a full-time lecturer at NAFA and also our 2d fundamentals lecturer. She finished her Bachelor in Fine Arts in Australia and won several awards for her works before.

This was displayed at NAFA's gallery a few weeks ago.

梦系列 II : 城市梦

(MÈNG XÌ LIÈ II : CHÉNG SHÌ MÈNG)

Translation : series of dreams II : city's dream

Above is the title of it. The swing kind of reminds me of my childhood, reminiscing the past where we as kids used to play it always. Dreaming high as we reach the peak, becoming oblivion to the world together with our friends.

Noticed there are several swings there? I think they are telling us to interact with the others. The three swings are connected to the LED lights on the back. By swinging them together, the lights will lit up and read ITS NOT THAT COMPLICATED.

With this, it can be concluded that the installation alludes to the notion of interconnectivity and interaction with nature for a better influence.

READS #1

Laurie halse anderson is one of the many authors that I love. She is someone who we youngsters can relate to. She writes novels about tough issues specifically those dealing with teenagers without any doubt in mind. This side of her makes young adults able to confide in her. Her way of writing is also great in a way that makes readers able to understand easily. I have read two of her books, one of which is Speak and the other Winter Girls. Both of these books coincidentally are her first and last book she has written. 

Being her first book, Speak became a hit (still is) and won several awards for its outstanding story. It was Anderson's big break. Speak was adapted into a movie in 2004 starring Kristen Stewart. This book is about a thirteen-year-old girl named Melinda Sordino who was sexually assaulted and becomes mute. It basically talks about how the young girl overcome her problems.

Whereas Winter Girls portrays two girls, one of whom is dead in the beginning, suffering from anorexia and bulimia. This book talks about the other girl's struggles and delusional mind, whom eventually realized her way of living is wrong.
These two problems are often found within the society. And it is recommended to read these two books to know more about the problems and how to slowly solve them.

Rather than reading fantasy books, I like reading these kinds. I don't know why. Maybe because it is more realistic and extremely relatable and sad in some sort of way. Other book which similar to this is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Another good read

Brunch All Day

This is a place called wild honey, opened at Mandarin Gallery on the third floor. It serves all kinds of breakfast, from english breakfast to sweet breakfast for a whole day. It is basically a all-day breakfast restaurant. Its interior is very classic and timeless. The colors are neutral with wooden plus rustic furniture all over and wooden tile flooring which give off a homely and warm vibe found at home. It also has a mix of modernity with the lights in the shape of a sliced UFO. The arts hanging are garish which complement with the whole neutral look. This place is not surprisingly popular amongst the youngsters. With the great homy atmosphere filling up the place, it is undoubtedly an awesome place to hang out and chill with friends.

Going there the other day, I was stunned by all of it; the interior and the food. I ordered the english breakfast, the good old full breakfast

and Belgian breakfast from the sweet menu. This dish consists of waffles, roasted mango, coconut crust , some blueberries and syrup. The taste was exquisite that I could eat it all myself. 

My experience being here was great and it is a place I can see myself go back to.

Drift

This is an artpiece hung on the ceiling of Marina Bay Sands. It is one of the most enormous sculpture I have seen yet. This artwork was created by Antony Gromley who is renowned for his sculptures that patterned off of a human body. One of which is called 'Angel on the North', as seen below. 'Drift' is only one of them 

Through his work titled 'drift' (above, first picture), you might think he disarrayed from his famous concept. But the fact is, if you have to look for it. Amidst the amorphous matrix of angles , there stands a body-shaped space in the middle. I have found the shape. Can you? Here are some pictures taken from different angles.

By the bay

Gardens by the bay, one of the newest tourists attractions in Singapore. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden. I haven't been there. Though from the reviews/ feedbacks from my friends and the Internet, it is a really beautiful place for families. In front of it, lies the Marina reservoir. With the numerous types of different flowers grown there, it is a place to be for relaxing/ taking one's mind of burden and tasks. The place as it says is very colorful and smells like nature unlike what we find in the city. The exterior of it is just marvelous with a shape of a growing tree which lights in different colors at night (Picture above). It somewhat seems like candles flaring. And to top it off, u could also see the night light of the city if one stays at the hotel nearby, Marina Bay Sands. I hope to visit there one day soon and see what i have been missing. 

Turn that Face into A Smile

If I'm having a bad day, I would look at this picture and my burdens would be lifted up a little. Why this picture you ask? In case you haven't noticed, there is a smiley face up the sky. It was a lucky moment taking this picture. I was in the car going back home, eyes wandering and all of a sudden my eyes were caught on the sky and noticed a smiley face. The first thing I thought of was quick capture the moment! And I rumbled through my bag and took out my phone. This picture never fails to make me smile (: 

CheckUp

I went to the Singapore General Hospital also known as SGH the other day to have a checkup. And saw this very interesting decorated wall while roaming around. It seems like a voluntary work where people helped fold origamis and pasted them on the wall, which writes Gift of Life, Gift of Hope. I like how this wall represents the Gestalt theory where we focus the piece wholly then to the details. When you look from afar, you can only see circles being drawn but in closer look, they are formed by folded origamis of different sizes. Very cool indeed. The placement of the origamis is well-organized but dispersed at the same time giving off a somewhat hopeful feeling. And the colors used are very interesting, with complimentary colors being used in the middle section (purple and green) and analogous beside the two.

Thoughts

On the left is a quote from the book, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I bet everyone can relate to this quote. It is in a situation where thoughts are not in order and we can’t think of anything plausible to do with them. Everyone must have been through this. For artists, for instance, they have various brilliant ideas in mind but those ideas couldn’t be put together as they would clash and turn from a masterpiece to a disastrous one. As for teenagers like me, this quote interprets us as not being able to express ourselves as clearly as we can as teenagers often have a tendency to overthink everything. Stars are hard to differ from one another, but when formed into constellations they are easy to be noticed and have a meaning. The same thing goes to our thoughts. But making it happen is difficult, as we tend to procrastinate and make excuses for ourselves. Hence the quote.

What Lies Ahead

The future. Something everyone has undoubtedly been thinking about everyday. Even when you're an elderly person, you would still think about it. A word that terrifies most mankind.

I have been thinking about my future a lot lately. And a bit uncertain what it has in store for me. Will I be able to graduate the first year with a satisfying mark? The most asked question to myself. Am I doing good enough? With the piles of works given, it's a little hard to catch up. I have done most of the works. But with the recent week being a tutorial week, it's hard not to feel it as a one-week holiday. So, in the end, I only did a few of them. Which leads me to disappointment of unending criticism; why didn't I finish them all at once? I think most of us (teenagers, especially) are like that. Afraid of what lies ahead, still i don't really work that hard. I keep telling myself there is enough to finish all the work. And at the same time thinking about the insecurities i have. I certainly have to fix this habit of mine, for all I know.

Mona Lisa

I have no doubt that anyone would recognize this painting straight away. So, what makes this piece so renowned? The brow-less face of it or the smile of the woman? From what I read, Monalisa wasn't that 'big' in the past, though the mysterious smile raised questions to observers. Since its theft which lasted a couple of years, it has become famous. From that moment forward, the piece has been on the eyes of observers and its enigmatic smile intrigues them furthermore and has been a topic which leave people with unanswered questions.

Now, many artists are reconstructing Monalisa with several methods. Changing its pose, the medium they are using, etc. One of which is using edible materials - jellybeans.

Let them fall

Ornaments at the promenade mrt station. They are shaped of teardrops in various sizes. The piece consists of mostly smaller ones, assuming the artist wanted to make the largest one stands out. I like how the artist made them seems imminent to drop as if something big is about to happen. The outer part is formed of reflective mosaics, something that you would see on a disco ball. This part gives off a dream-like, outer space feel to it for viewers similar to the title, Dreams in a Social Cosmic Odyssey

Time

 

It can't be controlled

It doesn't wait for us

Everyone wishes for it

Time

The pictures show a little boy playing on the beach, taking his own sweet time.  Looking back, don't you think it's funny how life is now and then? 

I bet everyone wishes they could turn back time. But in fact, we can't. I, for one, miss being a kid where you don't really need to think about the future yet, are carefree and oblivious about everything. It seems like being a kid life seems easier. 

A wish that can't never be achieved; turning back time. Mistakes are made from time to time. We would wish to rewind the time and fix those problems. However, what is done is done. We can't change that. We can only learn from them. Embrace them. Let them be lessons that will change us.