i find my courage again.

Did you catch the Asian Youth Games Opening Ceremony on 29 Jun, 7p.m., Channel 5? This is the media team that made it work – “live” video feed (not the live broadcast, which was done by MediaCorp!), sound & graphics. Awesome experience… Although I had to re-do so many slides over that 5-day period, but I’m glad I got to be a part of this journey. (Photo credits: Karen Keng)

If you’re wondering what part I had to play in all this hype, I was in charge of the graphics on the top LED screen – the one with the “WELCOME” in the above picture. Basically adding to the whole glitz & glamour, and providing information on the various mass displays, as well as listing the names of the various countries during the Parade of Athletes.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was the Guest-of-Honour. So cool.

 

Following all that hullabaloo, a door opened to me to do freelance work under the Events Department of Xtron Productions (whom I worked under during AYG). Basically a lot of design work is involved… In my mind, I was thinking, “ME?! I’m not officially trained in design & all I know is Photoshop & I can’t do the kind of designs that Joanna & Juslin can do so easily!” But I decided to give it a shot, and stretch my wings in the Events industry. A few opportunities have arisen, and they seem to confirm the value that people see in me as a designer. So I decided, why not?

In this new role, I constantly have to remind myself of my dream, because I don’t even take time out to apply for acting jobs anymore. So I’ve decided to take some time to apply for some castings tomorrow… Plus I need to get new headshots taken. Hopefully I get a new acting gig soon.

 

I think God reminded me of Abraham’s story at the right time. Even as I continue to move on & prosper, God’s promise is still waiting to come to pass in my life, at His timing. A door will open… And I will be the right person, at the right place, at the right time. Just have to keep working hard… And focussing on the dream.

His gift to me is the ability to learn fast & have a good memory. I can excel in so many areas in life, but He only has one purpose for me. I will have the courage to keep on keeping on… I will find my courage again.

 

“Courage doesn’t always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying,
‘I will try again tomorrow.’”
- Mary Anne Radmacher -

 

Castings to apply for. Decentralised services this weekend – I’m based at Expo. Need to practise vocals & guitar for my 2-song performance at Hark Music on 25 July, Sat. Advert design concepts to come up with. Offering message to share tomorrow. Tuition to teach.

Moving on, with His Dream in front of me.

Asian Youth Games.

So I’ll be doing some backstage media stuff for the upcoming Asian Youth Games opening ceremony. It’s quite exciting to be involved in a large-scale sporting event, even though I’m playing only a small part. But this is my way of keeping busy.

I read through Genesis Chps 12 – 22 yesterday – Abraham waiting for the promise. So many things I learnt from those few chapters.. Like how Abraham kept moving on even as he waited for the promise of God to come to pass. He travelled round and came back to the place between Bethel & Ai, where he built an altar & worshiped God once again. Even as he waited for the promise, he did not stay at one place – he kept moving on & becoming more and more prosperous.

I’m waiting for the promise of God to come to pass in my life. I don’t know how long it’ll take ‘cos God has His own timetable, but I can’t sit around waiting. Neither should I try to fulfil God’s promise on my own human wisdom, otherwise I might make the mistake that Abraham did with Hagar. Never try to “help God” along.

But I’m wondering what to busy myself with… And praying for prosperity. Income has been slow in coming in.. And I can feel the well drying up. I seem to have hit a rough patch.

But tribulation produces perseverance. Perseverance produces character. And character produces hope. (Romans 5:3-5) Hope does not disappoint. Faith triumphs in trouble. Keep faith, keep love, keep hope. My heart and strength may fail but I lean on Him.

3 Days of Rehearsals. Preview on 27 Jun. Opening Ceremony on 29 Jun.
Call-time at 8:30a.m. tomorrow! God, help me wake up on time. Haha.

P.S. “难兄烂弟” (Brotherhood) is premiering on Channel 8 on July 8 ‘09 (wed), 9p.m. I’m in a recurring guest role, playing the secretary, Ann. Do catch this show!

dance lessons & more.

Since it’s been a rather quiet period on the work front, I’ve invested all my excess energy on dance lessons. Went to learn Hip Hop, MTV & Street Jazz over two days.

Songs we used in dance class:

Vocals lesson was good this week.. Though I felt frustrated with everything, somehow I managed to channel feelings into a beautiful rendition of “我不想忘记你” by 郭静. Still have more to work on, but I’m on the way there now… Performing in Hark Music in about 1.5 months time.

Yesterday I met a guy on the road who had helped to edit “CUBIK”. He said he had spent hours staring at my face on the editing screen (no wonder he was able to spot me in the midst of the busy street!). And he praised me, saying I did great work & the final product will definitely be able to be marketed to television. Yay!

Applying for international castings now. Hope I get good news!

voiceless screaming.

Earlier this month, I completed yet another independent short film – “Voiceless Screaming”. The production team consisted of a group of recent graduates from Ngee Ann Polytechnic Film & Media Studies, and it was a joy working with them.

A romantic comedy about a motivational speaker who, essentially, loses his voice & has to re-discover life again. Well, something like that. Haha. When I went for the audition, the director, Wang Dexian, told me he was looking for something similar to “Knocked Up”. You get the idea

Lots of photos below. I was the female lead, girlfriend of this “full-of-himself” motivational speaker. My scenes were filmed over 4 days, at the Punggol area, Punggol Beach, a school in Jurong East & a board games cafe really near my house.

Punggol Beach

I’ve lived in Singapore all my life, but never been here before.
It’s very peaceful & a good place to escape from city life.
But it’s full of flies & sandflies & mosquitoes at night – as seen below.

Those dots are: Flies! Insects!

I escaped the wrath of nature by hiding in my “trailer” i.e. inside the car.
But unfortunately, I was still bitten by mosquitoes.
Eventually put on insect repellant. I must be too sweet. Haha.

Dinner-time!

I once watched a TV movie “Love Is A Four-Letter Word”.
The male lead said:
“Everything is better at the beach.
Before you take a bite of your sandwich, look at the ocean,
listen to the waves, smell the salty air.
Doesn’t your meal taste better?”

My rolled-up pants look very unglam.

I think that’s Malaysia.

Night Scene. Lights, Camera, Action!

Finally, the sky darkens. The lights are set up.
Camera angle adjusted. Stand-ins test the light & angles.

Finally, my co-actor & I take our places.
This scene takes about 3 hours to shoot, I think.
It is dark, humid, insect-infested night.
But I enjoy being by the beach… If only there was more wind.

We shift to the next location, where the process repeats.
Lights, camera, stand-ins. While I get my wardrobe & makeup done.
Time check: About 12a.m.

Testing the Lighting.

Crew hard at work.

We take our places.

Scene takes about 1.5 hours.

My co-actor & I contemplated taking the car & driving off.
But it was just a fleeting thought. Haha.

Finally! 3 Thumbs-Up!

It’s a wrap for the day & you can see our joy.

My final day, my final scene.
Coincidentally, also the final day of shoot for this project.

With my co-actor, Steve Lai.

British-Chinese who just moved to Singapore from Brunei about a month before the shoot began. An awesome family guy with a two-year-old daughter. This was his first acting foray, but he performed really well.

Final scene!

Listening to Director’s Instructions.
Or is the Director cracking another joke?!

Love this shot.

IT’S A WRAP!

With one of the producers, Xiuqi.

Director-Actor Dexian.
Idiosyncratic, Cynical, Quirky.

Phew! It was fun work. Only my second romantic comedy thus far ’cause my characters are usually dark & moody. Really refreshing to tell these happy stories… Hope to see the final product soon!

some fun.

I had some fun putting together a video of three of my earlier short films – Devoid, Toilet & Paper Stars. Far from a complete collection of all my works (given that I’ve completed at least 15 short films, not to mention TV productions & what-not). But it was interesting.

Music by F.I.R.

This’ll have to make do till I find the rest of my DVDs!!! Now to hunt down the Producers. Hehe

A few interesting things happening.
First up, I’ve an audition this Saturday for Taiwan’s “One Million Star” PK Competition!
*nervous*
Secondly, the Celebrity Weekend looms.
Thirdly, involvement in the Asian Youth Games backstage! *woohoo*

Updates soon!

celebrities galore.

A picture speaks a thousand words.

Want to catch your favourite stars live here in Singapore? Leave a comment and I’ll give you more information. Personally, I’m really looking forward to Van Ness coming. Have supported him since the Meteor Garden days. Haha.

Am in the midst of compiling & editing my showreel, so am a little busy. I think it’s a sad, sad thing that although I’ve been involved in numerous projects, my DVDs are few and far between. Have to start hounding people soon. Oh well.

story-telling.

Did two short films under the Sinema Incubator Programme last year.

For “CUBIK”, I was the lead character, Alex. I got to work with many cool people, and a production team with talents from Thailand, Australia, India & the United States. This 36-minute action suspense film noir is still in post-production, and we have an awesome soundtrack from Graham Reynold.

Trailer’s not out yet, but click on the photo below to view a portion of a single medium shot from a scene in “CUBIK”, with a sample of the soundtrack. Dialogue has been removed so we don’t kill the story for you!

Watch out for “CUBIK” in the near future!

Played a small part in another Sinema Incubator-supported short film, “Red Rose”. In this story, the East Asian financial crisis never ended. A man has lost his job, his girlfriend, his life. Another man, seems to have it all. What will he do to survive?

“Red Rose” screenings currently at Sinema Old School
together with 3 other short films.

9 June, 7:30p.m.
16 June, 9:30p.m.
30 June, 9:30p.m.

Tickets at $8 each.
For bookings, call 6336-9707
or e-mail oldschool@sinema.sg

Just wrapped filming for “Voiceless Screaming” today. There’ll be a Wrap Party tomorrow!

Today, I suddenly felt this way:
Acting is such a precious experience.
Even as a story-teller, I learn so much from the stories.
I want to keep on telling stories.

9:35. official artist.

Yesterday, I just completed filming for “9:35″.
It’s a story based on the news headline: “Woman Shot In Head, Makes Tea”.
I play the female lead, Margaret.

Here are some screenshots.

 

Happier Days

Gunshot!

Tragedy

Memories are all that’s left…

Heard that the footage is quite good.. So I’m looking forward to the screening.
It should be in mid-June.

I’m in the midst of filming another short film: “Voiceless Screaming”.
That’s quite interesting too. I filmed at Punggol Beach on Thursday night.
Got bitten by insects, tortured by the humid weather, and extremely exhausted.
But it was nice to take a step back from the city life. And just enjoy nature.
Waiting for the production shots from that.

 

Listed as an official artist on alivenotdead.com.
Join in & be a fan of Laura Kee!

 

I’m going international. Looking for overseas projects now.. Am willing to travel for work.
FUN!!!

不倒翁.

There are a few people whom I hold in high esteem in this industry. I respect them, even fear them, and hold a hope of impressing them whenever I meet them. I met one of them today.

I can’t really explain that feeling. Fear mixed with respect & even awe.
Wondering if I’m adequate.

Yet after everything is over, I realise that he is just one person.
I know myself best. I know I am a 不倒翁 – someone who will not fall over & succumb to defeat.
True character is shown through extreme trials.
Almost nothing fazes me, nor gets me down permanently.

That’s the mentality to survive and to persevere on in pursuit of a dream that seems impossible.

 

For those who really know me, you’ll know that even though I seem fragile & vulnerable on the outside, I am a really tough & determined person on the inside. I will not fall, I will push on.

 

 

What do I want next? I want feature films & international projects.
I’ve had numerous short films & even though I’m venturing into TV here in tiny Singapore, it’s not my greatest dream. I want something more. And I believe that with Him, all things are possible.

In the midst of 2 short films right now – “9:35″ & “Voiceless Screaming”. 

There must be something more.

so many thoughts.

i’m not a very organised person.
in fact, organisation is one skill which i lack, and which jacelyn has an abundance of.
i’m better in execution… maybe that’s why we work together so well at JW. haha.
i wanted to write this blog entry… but i had so many thoughts.
so jeremiah told me: “categorise”. yeah right. hahaha.

i shall try to marshal my thoughts then.

 

FRIENDS & THE WEEKEND

i had a blast over the weekend. it was fun & laughter, and so much joy & happiness.
an audition on Saturday went okay.. but more importantly, i had fun chatting with the people involved in the production team.
Saturday & Sunday services went well… i love my awesome team! 

went for May’s BBQ B’day Party on Sat with other Chorus Boarders. it was so much fun.
jacelyn & jenna & mengwei & sihui & kelvyn & jeremiah etc…
i laughed so much – my jaws hurt.
at night, i went for supper with my family… i laughed even more – my jaws hurt.
but it was such a happy day.

Sunday as well.
met my SOT Team 4 (from last year) at Dhoby Ghaut & played games at Settlers’ Cafe.
awesome.

 

A JOKE & A FUNNY INCIDENT

Did you know that years ago, there were already predictions of “swine flu”?
People said that, “when America gets her first Black President, pigs will fly.”
So the “swine flew”. Hahahahahahahaha.

 

The day was Saturday. After service… speaking to one member, G, a gal.
G: Are you attached?
Me: Yes.
G: Too bad for him. *pointing at Mengwei*
Me: *speechless* *thought bubble appears above Laura’s head: “….. ??? ……”*

 

ACTING & DREAMS

been reading my past entries in October & November when i first embarked on this journey.
they were so inspiring. so full of faith.
i must regain that faith. i am thankful that in these short 8 months, i’ve been involved in 9 short films, 1 mini-feature,  6 TV productions, 2 stage productions, 25 school shows, 1 corporate video & 2 events. that’s a pretty healthy report card.

Thank God.

now people are looking for me, which is what i wished for 6 months ago.
but i need to work on my showreel, and my headshots etc. i must continue to work hard.

i want to be an inspiration. 
your dreams can come true, if you have faith & work hard.
“according to your faith, let it be done.”

did another short film today, “9:35″ for a Temasek Poly final-year student.
got “blood” stains, am extremely exhausted, but thankful for the opportunity.
the production team have a number of people from CHC as well. awesome.
my co-actor even said grace before we had lunch! 

SAF shows coming up. considering if i should be a part of “Steadfast”, a short film.
praying i get more roles, more open doors. 

 

okay, that’s it for now.
my random thoughts have not overwhelmed you, i hope.
looking forward to some rest tomorrow morning,
before singing lesson & tuition in the afternoon & evening.

 

last week, during CGM, we were giving words of wisdom or knowledge to each other.
the other member saw a STAR with more than five points… multiple facets.
she didn’t know the interpretation. but i hope that God shows it to me personally.

 

But without faith it is impossible to please God,
for he who comes to Him must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of
those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)