Humpty Dumpty Preview

A tidbit preview for some future work:

 

Images and videos are NOT to be printed or used without my consent. Like a boss.

Singapura 2010

Fisheye shots of Singapore from my 2010 trip. These were taken the day before my flight back to the Philippines, which by the way I almost did not make it. Long story short, I was drunk and my suitcase consists only half of my clothes, but in the end I got the other half after a month via a shipping cargo; thanks to my uncle Archie's family. Lesson learned: check your tickets every effing time and sober up before your flight.

Weapon of choice is my sidekick Holga 120FN with Fisheye Lens and a roll of expired Fuji Astia 100F, cross-processed. Images are NOT to be printed or used without my consent. Like a boss.

The Promised Cake Shots!

Hah! Title says all... It's almost a year since the promised individual polymer clay jewelry shots. For now I can only give you the cake-inspired ones since the others are still in line for post-processing. I know I'm waaaay behind schedule, but don't worry we'll get there...

Please help yourselves with my cakes and do enjoy my designs. If you are interested, don't hesitate to drop us a message on Marveleux.II@gmail (dot) com.

By the way, let me also take this chance to promote our "collaboration" store, Marveleux Deux! It was first conceived through our boardgame exhibit back in college. Back then the exhibit was simply called "Marveleux!" with the concept of feisty circus elements with whimsical treats awaiting for whoever won with the gamesmaster (that is everyone from class who deviced their own boardgames). Everyone enjoyed the exhibit, which only lasted for a week. Even our professors were enthused with every unique gameplay everyone has to offer. And because of its success, me and along with my college friends decided to coin Marveleux Deux (version 2.0 if you may) as our brand name.

I hope you may have the time to check our wares every now and then.

Images are NOT to be printed or used without my consent. 

Pastel City: Singapore's Shophouses in Chinatown

Last year I had the rare chance to go visit my two uncles and their families residing in Singapore. It was also my first time flying to another country (or as I say, "unchartered waters") so everything was new to me, and a month's stay was definitely not enough. Nevertheless I took the full liberty to sip their Kopi, ate Roti Prata and rode the MRT from Raffles Place to Sembawang everyday as much as possible. Luckily I had my college friends who were also there to find some work. We went from one place to another not as tourists but as regular people. As much as possible, I tried “blending in the crowd” (think Assasin’s Creed lol) to intimately grasp everything that is Singaporean. I think it is the best way to get to know their culture and savor it by the moment.

Walking is also the perfect means to go anywhere specially in a very small place like Singapore. I advise anyone who plans to go there to do the same. Doing this gives you a lot of photo opportunity and the chance to discover uncluttered alleyways which leads to small public gardens, like we did for that matter!

And that is how me and my friends came to a marvelous place called Chinatown. Rows and rows of pastel shophouses welcome us just after emerging from Ann Siang Hill. The magnificent sight literally took my breath away.  Here’s a light read about shophouses, care of Ye Olde Wikipedia. So they’re basically like the classical Pinoy two-storey Bahay na Bato where the occupants live on the upper floor whilst during the morning the lower floor becomes their means of earning income. Unlike ours though, they have been excessively painting their houses and adding decor by the minute. Hah! The jealous bastard in me talks!

I had a clicking frenzy with my Holga upon arriving, and I could safely say that this was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.The only regretful thing was, I only took one extra roll with me and the itinerary for the day was just starting. But I know I covered the places that were significant in that area. It was a very euphoric moment after having my scanned films a month later. Seeing them on screen tripled my natural high. For the first time I had the urge to go back to that place with a full bag of arsenal films.

Weapon of choice is my sidekick Holga 120FN and a roll of expired Kodak Portra NC100, cross-processed. Images are NOT to be printed or used without my consent. 

Melodion

One breezy afternoon last year, my friend Jimbert and I spotted an unusual little instrument displayed at a flea market. It was a melodion with a price tag of less than $3.00! It ended with us taking it home and a dollar & a half short in our pockets You see, we have this undying dream of starting a band and with an instrument this whimsical (and awful cheap too) we were ecstatic! In the end, it was decided that I'd "get to know it" for the mean time. 

 

The only song I could play so far was Damien Rice's Volcano, substituting the cello parts with the melodion. Together with Jimbert's guitar and me with the melodion as the accompaniment, we decided to give it a try. I was really shy at first since it's been a while since I actually sang. And besides, doing this in a cafe, with people hearing my voice quiver, does not actually help. But in the end we were satisfied with the result of the jam sessions. Too bad, we haven't had another take on it. I wish we have more time now.