Journey Into Modelling - Part 5

As we arrived on the fateful day we were treated to make up by Roland and hair styling by Easa. We had a long time before the show started; we arrived at 10:30 am for it to start at 2:00 pm. So we practiced the routine for one final time and then got lunch. It was a good opportunity to spend some more time talking to the guys, some of us exchanged numbers. Despite the impending show, we all seemed pretty relaxed.

We returned from lunch to prepare for the show. The first act was the simple group catwalk which was performed well, no mistakes. Next came group poses. Jude wanted us to take off our shirts if we were slim enough. I said I wasn't, I had about three kgs of fat too many for me to look good topless. Between acts we were all desperately trying to change outfits before the next act began. We felt extremely rushed because if you didn't get dressed in time you couldn't go on stage, and the transition times were extremely short. Despite this potential pitfall we were all able to get dressed in time. The solo catwalk came next and I messed it up slightly. I was so focused on smiling at the judges that I was walking too fast. Half way through the catwalk I realised this and slowed down. Finally the dreaded TvC was approaching.

Journey Into Modelling - Part 4

When it came to the upcoming show one of the biggest challenges would be changing fast enough between acts. We would have one lesson to learn the routine, one lesson to practice and then the real run the following week. The real run would have an audience as well as experienced models as judges. We were all focusing intently during the lesson. We were only shown the routine a couple of times then expected to remember it.  There was a lot of confusion and hesitation at first, but everybody seemed to have picked up the routines reasonably well by the end. I was still dreading doing the TvC but luckily we didn't have to perform it that lesson, though it would be a required part of the final show.

My Amazing Room Concept Sketch

Edit: I was threatened with legal action and anal violation since I apparently did not own the picture. Here is a picture of my foot instead.

Top 4 Most Anticipated Games of 2013

Despite the impending release of the PS4 and Xbox One, there are still a slew of great games to be released on current consoles and PC this year. Here’s a list of my top 4 most anticipated games:

Total War: Rome II

Total War is a long running series distinguished by its mix of RTS and turned based strategy. The latest incarnation is set in the Mediterranean when Rome was at its peaks.  Despite the games title there are diverse factions like the Spartans and Egyptians to play. The Total War series features spectacular battles which you can view from the sky, or get right into the action at an individual level. The period and geographic setting in Rome II has me extremely excited, Creative Assembly have an eye for authenticity which will only add to the atmosphere. I can’t wait to see Roman Legionnaires face off against war elephants.

Modelling: Bitchiness And Me

During my short, and shallow, incursion into the modelling world one thing struck me: how vain, bitchy and superficial some of the people were. Shock! Horror! Who would have thought an industry centred on beauty could be like that! Here are the highlights I encountered while at Shine:

• You’re fat: On of the first day I arrived at Shine, my recruiter Chad, told me that maybe I should go running. At the end of one my classes the instructor Roland said “Either its that shirt or you've gotten fatter this week”. When another model was measuring my waist, he exclaimed “Wow, quite big.”.Towards the end of my lessons one female model directly told me to lose 1-2kg. 
• lol@u: Aforementioned female model started laughing at me and gossiping to Chad in Chinese as I stood nearby. They were about a foot away. When I looked at them and asked “What?” they just ignored me and she continue to giggle and glance at me. 
• Your face is all wrong: Director Jude and teacher Roland would often be quite direct in their criticisms of you. Things like “You have a nice face but when you open your mouth, I go, EH! Who is that? Not nice voice!”. One guy was told his default smile was bad; his eyes were too slanty and he had to open them more. 
• Full femme: After not turning up to class one week, I was scolded by a model through SMS. I returned the following week and said hi to him. He glanced and me and ‘harrumphed’. The rest of the lesson he would ‘absent mindedly’ touch and caress me, while avoiding eye contact. 
• White is so not in right now: When the haze in June was at its highest I was talking to Chad about the respirator masks people were wearing. He pulled out a black, leather mask. I asked him whether or not it was actually effective. He laughed and said no, and that he wouldn't wear the medical ones because they were too ugly. 

I don’t bear any ill will or dislike for these people, some of them were quite nice and friendly. However every so often I would be reminded about what industry/lifestyle these guys were in.

Journey Into Modelling - Part 3

The time had come to repeat TvC but I was really dreading the moment. Additionally I’d finally found a job as a business analyst intern. Part of my initial motivation with modelling was “finally, something I can try to excel at and focus on!”. This evaporated after I got a position at a respectable company. I was terrified of doing another TvC and had lost most of my initial motivation, so I started to think I’d just drop the modelling lessons permanently. On Friday night I was still undecided whether I should skip class. After getting drunk with a friend I decided “Fuck it” and slept in. I was very close to not turning up to any more classes after that. Finally, after feeling very ambivalent, I decide to stick with the lessons. For one thing I had paid money for them, thus I should remain so I got what I paid for. Additionally if I wanted to get modelling auditions I would need to show Shine my dedication. Another reason was I had made a commitment of sorts to see the modelling through, and my word is gold. Though I technically never said I would attend all lessons, I felt I had implied it enough to keep going. Finally even if I didn't enjoy it any more, it was a way for me to grow and gain experience. So I continued to attend lessons. Perhaps my perseverance paid of because I got an interesting opportunity.

Journey Into Modelling - Part 2

I'll never live this down

Soon I was to attend my photo shoot. I was told to bring all my clothes, so I did. Our teacher created four outfits from what clothes I'd brought. The photographers guided me through each segment. We went through several poses with each outfit, more than a dozen poses with many photos taken. The session lasted over an hour. I felt pretty absurd in some of them (picture related) but I feel I got my money worth. When the photos were printed the Shine models were gushing over how good I looked.

Over the following weeks we learned a variety of modelling skills. One week we learnt how to introduce ourselves to casting agents, another on what to do once you get a job; everything from what to bring to what not to say. Both the most interesting and hardest lesson for me was television commercials (TvC). We were told to present a reading from a short script which was as follows (it is still burned into my memory): “Are you ready to shop to your heart’s desire? Eight weeks of fabulous offers await you at thousands of stores all over Singapore! This is the Singapore Great Sale 2012. The sale worth waiting for.”. For my initial reading I wasn't very nervous. However after performing I was told I read it like a news anchor. So we were tasked with creating a scenario or situation in which to present it. For instance as a character like a football player, a Thai tourist or a guy watching TV. I was racking my brains trying to think of something interesting.