flubberzz • the dude's blog

The Firsts of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:24:00 +0000

The start of the year has been pretty good so far. It seems like a long holiday due to all the festive seasons. The start of the year was greeted with a steamboat session with my dad, baby, Ben, my sister and her boyfie as well as Ashley. A lot of nonsense with the peeps as usual, and we were all laughing at the people performing on TV for the countdown.

On the 4th, we left early for Genting, which was supposedly a birthday surprise for baby until I realized I couldn't book anything without her passport details. Well, it was either Hong Kong or Genting, ultimately chose Genting because well, there isn't REALLY much to see at Genting, which meant we didn't have to rush to visit places etc. It was meant to relax and get away from work, so we decided that we'd go Hong Kong another time. As I type this I kinda miss those 4 days there. Yeah, 4 days 3 nights wasn't enough actually. Would've stayed the entire week if possible. Baby & I celebrated her birthday with a cake from Starbucks in our room. Of course, the holiday wouldn't have been the same without her around. Gosh... I miss the penang laksa too! Oh boy it was soooooo good!

It's Chinese New Year and this week itself has just been really great. It was awesome to have baby joining my family for reunion dinner. Plus I made a huge move on Wednesday night, but it was definitely worth it. I know there have been speculations going around for quite a while now (and I don't know why people do that; I'm not a celeb). But yeah, I have heard people asking about my status. I don't have to announce it to the world. But yes, my friends do know how much she means to me. She has that special place in my heart that no one else had. Thinking about it, I still thought it was pretty funny that both of us used to irritate the hell outta each other. Just look at the picture and you can see how much we've changed and grown. =) Timing's not exactly 2 years apart, but you get the idea.

Of course, I'm not tanned now due to the fact that I don't really have time to go swimming anymore with N. Oh well, and as you can see, I wear contact lenses now. =) Plus I think she looks much better with her current haircut. She's been the sweetest and has really been very patient with me all this while. We always have so much to say and talk to each other, so much so, sometimes I wish I have all the time in the world to spend with her. I'm know I'm truly blessed as her love for me has been really amazing. <3

Reminiscing 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:35:00 +0000

As I grow older, time seems to pass faster. Even when trying to kill time, I realize that it's easier to pass time these days. Another year has come to pass. And like what I have been doing for a few years now, I like to review what I have achieved for the year. I haven't really had much time to blog these days, but I still always try to make time for it. The year hasn't been a smooth sailing one, but a great one nonetheless.

Last year I got into RMIT University's design course with no related diploma or formal training within that area of creative field. I appreciate the opportunity that was given to me and I struggled with both my school and work schedules but people can't tell with my usual pokerface. Things never come easy, which was why I worked through the year that I almost got myself hospitalized with over-exhaustion partially due to lack of sleep. I graduated this year with no distinction or whatsoever, but I'm contented. Because I was willing to make mistakes despite knowing I'm getting marked for it. It's the only time to make mistakes because I wouldn't want clients to regard my company as a mistake if we ever had any mistakes while working on our projects with them. I sincerely thank all the lecturers who passed their knowledge to us (though I paid $22k for it). Without their guidance, I wouldn't be where I am today. I'd like to take a moment to thank my dad who has supported me in every way possible. I couldn't have done it without his guidance and understanding.

As Carlsche Media continued to grow, we decided to take app developments as a new side project, which ended up with a second company that was formed early this year - VOQOX Labs. The work that we're doing are still at early stages and I hope to make great stuff with this company. Rebranding is tough, but I'm glad Carlsche Media took that step forward as a media company. We also launched a new brand identity together with the direction and brand positioning that we're headed towards, and I think it looks great. I couldn't be happier to know that we have such great clients who trust our work, and I thank them for their continuous support and trust with our company. And if you like, you could always like our Facebook page here.

Earlier this year, I received a call on a Saturday for some work to be done within 2 days. That was how I was roped into Men's Fashion Week. Did some great stuff and met really awesome people including Facebook Co-Founder Eduardo Saverin, got meet Fiona Xie, Christopher Lee, Rebecca Lim, Godfrey Tsao amongst the many celebrities who attended. It was truly an eye opener to me as well as a great opportunity to have met and worked with the finest teams that put the show together. We even raised money for Japan, who was facing one of the most challenging periods of their time. I also got to meet my bro and mentor, Utt, who has guided me in ways or another. I'm even thankful for him to be such a great friend listening to me. I got to attend World Runway with lovely thanks to his invitation.

My Melbourne Trip was one of the best things that happened to me this year and it has probably earned a place in my heart. On my way there, I met YY, who has turned out to be one of my greatest friends ever. She gave me one of the best things I could ever ask for - friendship. And while she has scolded me on certain times that I was doing silly stuff, she was there to cheer me up when I was seriously depressed. The coffee in Melbourne was reeeaaaally good. If you ever go to Melbourne, please don't go to Starbucks; waste money only. Had awesome chocolate pizza, and visited the House of Burlesque. Some things that I got to know about Melbourne is that people like to take their own sweet time to do things, which is why when you go to Asian stores, you get things a little faster. Visited great places with room mates Josh, Hansel and Gang Hao. Went to St. Kilda's and didn't regret waking up early. Woolworths at QV was one of the favorite places I like to just walk around and see if I could buy anything to cook. It's no wonder I put on a few pounds after I got back. I got to talk to Georges Antoni, the brilliant photographer who worked on publications including Harpers Bazaar, Vogue and Oyster, amongst the many other things that have been an overwhelming experience. Cooked pasta for 13 people including myself. Haven't tried cooking for that many people before so I didn't think it was that good. Watched the second last episode of Smallville in Melbourne and returned home to watch the finale after 10 years and seasons of Smallville.

Screen Singapore was a project taken up when I was still in Melbourne but had a little more involvement once I got back from the trip, where there was a Charity Gala held in aid for raising funds for UNICEF. Women's Fashion Week's first Preview Party was held in conjunction with the closing charity gala as well. It sure felt good to see your own work all over the ArtScience museum.

Women's Fashion Week has been one of my greatest projects to work on. I've had the opportunity to be part of the team to be the first to bring Haute Couture out of Paris, and into Singapore. I've had the greatest opportunity to work with the most brilliant people ever. From architecture, to fashion choreographer, to working with the other people behind the scenes. I got to meet Fann Wong, a royal family, 7 grand couturiers, other celebrities and friends whom I haven't seen in a while.

I was invited to give a talk on my entrepreneurship journey at the official opening of DBS Remix, where the branch is filled with technology that makes banking a quicker, hassle-free process. Lovely came along and helped me cope with the pretty high stress level since I actually didn't know how it was supposed to be. Thank goodness, everything turned out better than expected. DBS executives were pleased. Got to catch up with a few old friends and bloggers while still being able to be a part of this great experience.

I've been covered by Lianhe Zaobao twice this year. First was after graduation, where I first tried to keep a low profile, but my sister saw my face on the papers on the train, my granny saw my face on the papers at work. I figured I should just tell my dad before my granny started calling everyone to announce that my face was plastered on the papers. I gotta thank Shuyang for the brilliantly written article as the interview was conducted in English due to my horrible Mandarin. The article was talking about young entrepreneurs in Singapore. Once again, I do not consider myself as an entrepreneur. Heck, I don't even think I deserve that title. I just happen to be doing what I love to do. =) My second article was my involvement with Women's Fashion Week, where Alvin and Bryan were covered in that interview alongside with me. Yiming did a great job with that article and thanks to the team at WOM, otherwise this article probably wouldn't be possible.

I've been recently appointed as the In-House Expert at International School of Design & Technology, where I've previously lectured in 2009 when I was 21. This makes me an Adobe Certified Instructor as well. I'm not sure where this would go, but I think it's all good at this moment.

I didn't attend this year's Nuffnang's Blog Awards for a very good reason. To be at my baby's first event. And we clubbed after the party for the first time together and after I disappeared from the club scene for a loooooong time (for a damn good reason). The following Monday after the event, I gave her a bouquet of 24 roses for no special reason or occasion, except to have her lovely smile whatsapped to me... And she did. =) I possibly had that look of silly smile on my face when I received the photo from her. The things she's done for me has been such a positively tremendous impact in my life. 2 years ago, if you ask me, I never thought I'd get together with her (she too, never thought she'd like an asshole like me). I mean, sure... she's pretty.. But if I liked her only because she's pretty then our relationship would definitely be a shallow one. She's the only one who makes me feel at ease when I'm with her, makes me laugh about myself while doing silly things together, and whose love for me is nothing short of spectacular.

This year's Christmas celebration was a heartwarming one. We went grocery shopping together at Tanglin Mall's marketplace for things to cook during Christmas eve. Bill totaled up to about $130+ or so but who cares so long as we had a great time.

She's been the most understanding person ever, constantly reminding me of my bad habits with much patience. Like I have this bad habit of shaking my legs. She'd just gently tap my leg and I know I'm doing that stupid move again. I actually told YY and many others that I'd stay single and I wouldn't mind doing that for the rest of my life. But she changed the way I viewed things on relationships. She's been always there to soften the impact of my falls, and never fails to hold me up when I'm at my lowest point. Never asked me for any expensive gifts or dinners, always watching my pocket for me so we could have a better future together. The things she's done for me are just incredible and uncountable. And I'm glad I actually stopped and looked around. Otherwise I'd miss the greatest gift ever in my life.

No new resolutions for next year; just working the best that I can as usual. This year has been a fulfilling year for me and hopefully I'll accomplish more things next year. So, what have you accomplished this year? =)

Official Opening of DBS Remix at *SCAPE

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:47:00 +0000

On the 1st of October, I was really honored and humbled to have been part of the Official opening of DBS Remix at *SCAPE. I was invited by them to give a talk on my entrepreneurial path and how I got to where I am today. Honestly, I still do not consider myself as an entrepreneur as to me, that definition has really big shoes to fill. We've got people in Singapore using that word to describe themselves when all they did was open a blogshop, sell some stuff online or just do some weird stuff. Worse still, some people calling themselves SERIAL entrepreneurs when it's really obvious they haven't done anything close to that. It's so disappointing. to see Singaporeans using the word 'entrepreneur' in such a loose manner.

With that said, there are still people in Singapore who are real entrepreneurs who dare to think big. People like my friend, Bernard Leong, who co-founded Chalkboard; people like Kien Lee, who founded Senatus; people like Wong Meng Weng, who is a REAL SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR, founded pobox.com, Sender Policy Framework and bought by Microsoft, Karmasphere and recently HackerspaceSG. These are the individuals who worked hard to bring something different to the table; the leaders who innovate. Which is why I don't consider myself as an entrepreneur, because there's no way I could compare myself with these great people. But as a Creative Professional, I think, it's better description of what I do. But I thought it'd be good to share my journey of how I started Carlsche Media and VOQOX Labs with people who are thinking of going the same route as me. Not to avoid the mistakes I made, but rather, know about it and then have a better vision and perspective at looking at these problems if it ever occurs to them along their journey.

It was definitely a great session with the audience. It's a good thing to hear positive comments and remarks from both the audience and the people from DBS themselves. Here's a great article written by Francesca Soh. I have no idea why my face look so swelled so don't ask. >.< HAHA! I've met some really great people there and caught up with some old friends and bloggers. I'd say it was a pretty good experience for me.

Here's someone whom I thought that would be interesting to follow on twitter. Meet Sean Parker, Co-Founder of Napster, Plaxo, former President of Facebook, Founder of Causes, Airtime and Director of Spotify. Yes, he's a serial entrepreneur, and he's good.

Women's Fashion Week 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:30:00 +0000

So many things have happened these few weeks and I've hardly any time to blog about it. Sometimes I just wish time could come to a screeching halt just so I could have more time to laze around. Work is never ending as of now. There's just so much to do. I miss blogging at times, but I guess for now I'll just have to stick with being busy. I love what I do anyway.. So I guess it's all cool! =) So if you wonder why I haven't been going to parties at Avalon or whatever, don't bother... I don't have the time. Hehehe...

iPhone 4S is out in Singapore, but the Singtel servers apparently couldn't handle the pre-orders when I was trying to book one, so now I'm just waiting for the restock of the 64GB model to come in. For the past months, I've been busy with Women's Fashion Week. The first in Singapore outside Paris, Haute Couture Week showcased the Grand Couturiers' designs at the invite-only event. This time I got to work closer with Daniel Boey's and his team together with Frank and Kien.

Like previously at Men's Fashion Week, Alvin decorated the interior of the convention hall with this amazing masterpiece design of his. As you can see, the photos I posted on instagram shows the building process of the architecture of the stage. Brilliant work from the talented guy once again!

We had to make sure that everything was in order. From the rendering of videos to the AV equipment and the testing of the lights. I worked closely with Bryan, who's in Daniel Boey's team, with his direction on which videos, live feed or slides to appear on screen during the fashion show itself. It was a great experience and he was really a breeze to work with.

This time, one of the sponsors includes Rolls Royce, where it was put on display in the fashion hall itself and there was a "test drive" area for buyers. Of course, they'd be chauffeured around rather than to drive it themselves. I literally couldn't pluck my eyes off them. It's was such a beauty. Especially after you've seen the videos of how they make it and hand paint the sides of the vehicle.

It had this stunning exquisite interior that had a red carpet luxuriously laid out at the passenger area for the Rolls Royce Phantom. The leather smell in the insides of the car was overwhelming but it felt so gooooooood!!

After everything was over, I finally had a great night's sleep. Not before having supper with the bros - Utt & Sharon as well as Belinda. Yong Tau Foo was exactly what I needed to sooth my stomach after a period of not eating properly and falling sick. I'm so glad I'm feeling much better now. =)

I posted more photos on instagram actually. It's like... faster than me compiling then blogging here. You can follow me on instagram for more pictures. =) The link is just to display the feed from my instagram account. Pretty decent instagram web profile, I'd say. Search "flubberzz" on the instagram app instead to follow my posts. =) As for now, like this page on Facebook. We're proud to have been a part of Women's Fashion Week once again like we were with Men's Fashion Week!

Goodbye Steve Jobs, the greatest inspiring brilliant mind of our time

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 02:04:00 +0000

Today's a sad day for us all. For we've lost an inspiring individual who's made a great impact in my life. I never thought I could be so sad about the loss of someone I never met, though meeting him was always something I've always wanted to do. He lived his life to the greatest, doing things he loved and I have the utmost respect for this man. The last time I felt this way was for Christopher Reeve, who also made an impact in my life. I'm still speechless. Though I know you'd have to leave us physically someday, you'll live in our hearts and through the visionary products you invented.

Here's to the most inspiring brilliant mind of our time.
The man who made computers personal.
The man who revolutionized the music player and smartphone.
The man who loved what he did - Steve Jobs.

"...the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do" --Steve Jobs

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life." -- Steve Jobs

With the people I love!

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:06:00 +0000

It's been a while since I last updated. It's been a great run at SIM-RMIT and I've finally graduated. Had my convocation on the 24th of August. My parents came down to give me their utmost support. I really need to give them my biggest thanks. For if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have got to where I am today. More so for my dad, for constantly giving me great advice for what I do. Same for my friends who came down to congratulate me, I owe them big time. They have been the greatest friends and my strength in life.

In fact, I have lots of people to thank. My great mentors - Max, Solomon, Jeron, Chang Quan, Frank, Kien, Utt, Mark, Chris, Alex, Mdm Tan, Shi Yan, Mr Sim, Mich, Joyce, Lynus, Marianne, Preetam, Stefano, Shubez, Bernard and quite a few more. These are the people who have impacted my life in one way or another, who have been so supportive with what I do, recognizing and acknowledging what I have done, been doing and will continue to do in years to come.

The article about myself came out last month. Tried to keep a reeeaaaaally low profile about it but my grandmother and parents found out anyway. I'm thankful for the supportive family and friends that I've had who called me and smsed me, or even tweeted to congratulate me on my face being plastered on the newspaper. Even my best buddy who is a malay, can't read chinese, but still got the papers. I've got the sweetest friends.

A lot of things happened after my previous update. In fact, my previous update itself wasn't fully covered on what's been going on. Recently, the team at Creative Crew, including myself have been acknowledged by the National Library Board for our contribution to the society through our creative sharing sessions. We're currently working with Ivan and the Creative Commons team in Singapore for a festival to celebrate the usage of things that are licensed with creative commons. HJ was back for a while from Seattle so we caught up with each other. She messaged me immediately when she reached Singapore. For our first meet up, we had coffee first before heading to taste paradise and then to coffee bean for more talking. The second one was when she joined me and Utt at Raffles City after our movie outing. He left after a lil while and we had crepes for dinner.

Always nice to catch up with her. We made plans for the next time she's back so all's good. Just few days ago on Sunday, I attended World Runway Premiere at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with Val. Thanks to Utt, we were given the guest pass and we were able to join him backstage.

We had a slight problem finding the "backdoor" so we were kinda walking in circles till Sharon came out to pick us up. Utt's wardrobe was by Atzu and Reckles Ericka... The Gold one was by Reckless Ericka.. I actually think it looks really nice. Do check out their stuff out at The Reckless Shop at Orchard Central.

After the show we were so famished, we went to Geylang for supper at 126. It was good. Just a little too small a portion for me. Had to have instant noodles when I got home. This month is the launch month for DC Comic's new 52 reboot. Got the new Superman and Justice League comics. Love it so far. I just might fill my room with comic books. Will update this space again if I've got time. Hopefully... Ciao! =)

GradShow, Miss Singapore & Mac OS X Lion

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 22:04:00 +0000

A lot of things have happened recently and I'm just glad that things are still good on my side here. You see, not many things would go the way you want, but I always have the notion of making the best of what you got. Recently the graduation show for the 9th Batch of BDCD of SIM-RMIT has been raking in positive remarks. Not the best I'd say, but a lot of effort had been put in by many.

Carlsche Media was one of the first sponsors to reach out to the Graduation Showcase, but due to the incompetent marketing leader, a lot of things were not delivered professionally. It's not something what a sponsor would want to see. I was there every day during the course of 4 days and walked people through the exhibition to allow them to understand better what was the message we were trying to bring across.

And while I was busy packing up the Grad Show, my music soulmate won her title as Miss Singapore Universe!! Congratulations to her for that epic win! =)

Well, for the past month or so I've been putting this back to where it is, dealing with renovations and other stuff. Thankfully, there's my iPad to make things a little easier to handle. As of today, I've installed Mac OS X Lion for a week or 2 now, and I've got to say that Apple just keep refining the Operating System. I never like how iPhoto handled my pictures, but after the full screen thingy kicked in, I started using it again. Viewing pictures in full-screen is just beautiful.

If you haven't get it, it's just US$29.99, which is like $36.05 due to the exchange rate of USD1 : SGD1.202. As people might know me, I got it the very day it was out. Kiasu max. But I've been lovin' it ever since. Now it's just a matter of time before the release of the new iPhone. I'm waiting....... =)

Last Day In SIM-RMIT

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:37:00 +0000

Today's the last day of class and I sit here for the last time writing this entry. A year has passed really quickly and our graduation show is to be done soon in July, and the Graduation Ceremony after. As I get back to the working life, things will be different, and I'll miss the little things, the great people I've gotten to know through this course, and the great times we've had together in class and in Melbourne.

As I look forward to doing more awesome stuff with the team in the future, this part of my life serves as a time where I got to further my knowledge and learn from everyone, and the time to be young. I'll have this stashed in my memory pocket for the rest of my life. =)

ScreenSingapore Closing Charity Gala and Women's Fashion Week Preview Party

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:14:00 +0000

Pardon me for not constantly having the time to update my blog. Recently, I was busy preparing for ScreenSingapore's Closing Charity & Women's Fashion Week Preview Party. The team has done a great job putting it together. Of course it was also because we had Frank, the brilliant mind behind all this. Really glad to be given the opportunity to be a part of all that's happened recently. Plus, all the people I've met lately are really great people.

And of course, I have to thank all those who joined us for that lovely night where all proceeds from the tickets would be donated to UNICEF. Check out Women's Fashion Week facebook page for more updates.

The Official ScreenSingapore Charity Gala

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:27:00 +0000

Couple of weeks back, I got a search that lead to my blog. Apparently the person searched for how to volunteer for Women's Fashion Week. And while there's still quite a while to the actual Women's Fashion Week, we're having a private preview party at ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands. And because Men's Fashion Week was inspired by a philanthropic agenda, we're doing our part again for Women's Fashion Week.

This time, together with ScreenSingapore, we'd like to invite you to come walk the red carpet with us on the 11 June 2011 in celebration and showcase of Arts, Film and Fashion. Tickets sold will be donated to UNICEF to help the children of Japan. Not only you get to help others, but you'd also get to have a preview of the upcoming Women's Fashion Week. Help save lives. Walk the red carpet with us.
Details are on the image above. RSVP fast. Limited spaces on the guest list.

Product Labels 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 24 May 2011 07:32:00 +0000

Apple has innovated in almost every way possible. Their latest upgrade to their Apple Stores, termed as Apple Store 2.0, has seen the death of usage of papers as their product label. They've integrated iPad 2s as their latest product label, which is encased in a plastic cover.

It allows you to compare specs and see their features. If whatever on the screen cannot answer your questions, they can be used to call for their Apple Specialists. Pretty neat, but I'd say the wiring might possibly look a little messy. They might have to work on that. 2.0 doesn't sound as simple. Nevertheless, Apple has a breakthrough again.

Friends with Benefits

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Mon, 23 May 2011 23:51:00 +0000

This movie opens in July in other parts of the world, but Singapore will have it only in September. I think most people would have it compared to Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman's No Strings Attached as the idea seems pretty much revolves around 2 people having sex without any form of relationship. Content wise, I'd say it MOST PROBABLY might be different, where they show 2 people getting hurt and breaking up, which is why they did what they did

And for the record, Ashton and Natalie Portman make a cute couple. But J.T and Mila Kunis sure make a damn hot one. Looks like I'll just have to wait for this one, like Green Lantern and Transformers. To sum up:

Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis were both in Black Swan.

They both go on to make movies with identical plots.

Mila Kunis was in that 70s show with Ashton Kutcher.

Ashton Kutcher was in No Strings attached with Natalie Portman.

No Strings Attached is also an 'N Sync album.

Justin Timberlake was in 'N Sync.

Justin Timberlake is in Friends With Benefits.

Well, what do we have here?

Smile Like You Mean It

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:53:00 +0000

I miss Melbourne and the cool weather there. Can't help but compare Singaporeans with the people there. So far, after I came back, all the people in the service line that I've seen look sulky - like someone owe them a living or something. I wouldn't be surprised actually. Look how happy I was there.

The candid wide smile. Photo Courtesy of Ahmad.

Back in Singapore!

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:51:00 +0000

What's up guys, I'm back from Melbourne! Time flies, and I'm back here in this humid weather. Kinda miss the cold air blowing in my face. Some of my friends were actually concerned whether I'm back only for a while or for good. I'm back for good. Speaking of time flying, it's almost a year since class commenced and I'm graduating soon.

I'm still appreciative of the chance the school has given me despite my "no formal training in design" background, to study with them and RMIT. The people I've met and gotten to know through the course have been a really amazing bunch of people. And while it's almost back to working life for me, this journey that we took together as course mates, as friends, will always be a part of my life.

Melbourne was an amazing place to be at. The weather, the coffee and the people were all awesome. Really, if you're at Melbourne, go to any coffee house and most of the time, their coffee is better than Starbucks. The brew is way better.... usually. Unless you're at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, then yeah... The M cafe brews nonsense.

With Ms OJ's recommendation, I went to St. Kilda Beach. That place was a beauty. Despite the cold wind, we got to the very end and I got a shot of a penguin. Yes, a penguin. =) Getting to know their culture has been one of the most enriching experience for this trip. You meet different people with different mentalities, and I have no idea why, but the asian girls there are damn hot and very nice people.

The vodafone girl, Jasmine C, as I saw on the computer while she was registering my internet access, was really helpful, unlike the Hong Kong douchebag working at Optus. Overall, I'd say the experience was really good, except the problems Optus gave me. Oh well..... I had a great time and learn quite a bit, that's what's important. =)

Priceless Moments: With Georges Antoni

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sun, 08 May 2011 18:03:00 +0000

With Georges Antoni, who's a brilliant photographer who worked on publications including Harpers Bazaar, Vogue and Oyster, and recently was one of the judges for Australia's Next Top Model.

When he used to live in Singapore, he stayed at Parc Oasis. That's like so darn friggin' near to my place! I probably didn't know who he was back then even if our paths crossed. But I'm glad to have met him at the agIdeas forum though. =)

FOOD IN MELBOURNE!

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 06 May 2011 06:57:00 +0000

Food in Melbourne is GOOOOOOOOOD. =) I'll just let the pictures talk and make you drool. Very big portions, but very expensive. No $2.50 or $3 full meal, but for $10, you should be able to fill yer tummy!

This one's mine, seafood, as usual.

This is Ganghao's.

The Roshan® and Hansel shared this pizza.

I'm definitely enjoying myself so far. Weather's getting cold, but it's really enjoyable. =) I think I have a very good excuse to get myself a trench coat. If I had JBB*, that'll be most awesome. =) Haven't had booze since I got here. Might get some soon. Oh well, we'll see. =)

Hello from Melbourne!

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Wed, 04 May 2011 12:35:00 +0000

I'm loving Melbourne. The weather, though cold, is really nice. Been here since Sunday morning and thing's been pretty well so far. Good to have really awesome roommates, otherwise things would've been boring. The flight from Singapore was pretty jerky. Apparently, the landing was really crappy. But once we touched down things were all pretty cool. Was damn tired on the first day, so I slept throughout on Sunday. Here're some pictures of what I took on the first day.

On Monday, we toured RMIT University for a while, and set up our laptop to work with their wireless before going for a late lunch and shopping. We had Italian cuisine, which was pretty awesome. No time to go to the Victoria Market as of yet, but soon, I hope. Anyway, here's a picture that we snapped after our lunch at the Italian restaurant.

Things are always awesome with pals around. As of now, I'm surfing the web on the couch literlly, while updating this blog. Loving the weather, and loving everything about Melbourne except for the slow pace of their lifestyle. Shops close at 4.30PM, which is so not cool. But the weather is so good to chill. Oh well, I hope I can update again soon. Bye, from Melbourne! =)

A Casual Update

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Heading to Melbourne in less than 24 hours. I'm excited! =) I'm lacking updates due to the hectic schedule that I have now. Like, Nuffnang's stuff that I had to keep giving it a miss cos I REALLY COULDN'T GO. =( On a lighter side, I'll let you see if you can spot me in this photo taken at Men's Fashion Week. A bit obvious right. Not like I'm some big shot but if you cannot tell, please click on the "Read the rest of the entry" for the answer. I'mma update more about Men's Fashion Week possibly when I'm in Melbourne (hopefully), and also maybe a lil teaser for the upcoming Women's Fashion Week.: Answer: Best seat in the house. 1st seat of the VIP seat. =) TEEHEE!!

Men's Fashion Week Asia 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:29:00 +0000

[Warning: Long post ahead] As expected, the month has been an extremely busy and stressful although very fulfilling. I've had the great fortune to have the opportunity to meet and work/collaborate with the most awesome and talented people. The Inaugural of Men's Fashion Week Singapore 2011 was at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, where 20 fashion shows were staged over the period of 5 days. The crew was filled with all very pleasant and professional people, and have shown to be able to do what they do best.

Of course, while I had work to do for MFWAsia, I also had to work on my school projects. Countless sleepless nights and many meetings later, it was finally Men's Fashion Week. Our video was used at the press conference to officially introduce Men's Fashion Week 2011 and 1 more that was proudly screened before every fashion show started. While the Japan Disaster video was on loop at the Charity booth and played before Edison took the stage, we also had one more video at the end of the event to introduce the upcoming Women's Fashion Week 2011 in September.

Two key people that I'd like to thank is Kien Lee and Dr. Frank Cintamani who gave me this opportunity and to meet with other really awesome people like Daniel Boey, Dr. Georgia Lee, Alvin Kwan, and many others - I'll break it down later. These people have been really friendly, encouraging and helpful in more ways that I could ask for. And while it was eating up my sleeping hours, I had a lot of fun with the people around me who kindly volunteered to help out at the charity booth at the Fashion Metropolis. Frank invited me and I brought Jo along to the Charity Gala dinner. I was at the same table with Rachel Kum, Andie Chen, Melissa Faith Yeo and some very familiar looking girl whom I think is a blogger from Nuffnang.... I think... (Update: Took me a week to find out and yes, she was from Bonito Chico, not sure if she continued at LoveBonito - @ms_rach. That's why so familiar.) (Update 2: We had a small convo on twitter!!) It was a very insightful journey together with Frank and his team of experts to be part of the first Men's Fashion Week in Asia.

Daniel Boey is one of the nicest people I met at MFWAsia. Though we didn't work directly with each other, I had a chat with the Creative Director of Men's Fashion Week during dinner with him, Frank, Benedict Goh, Alvin, Utt, as well as the volunteers for the Japan Charity booth Edison, Dickson and Winston.

We were also trying to raise funds through auctioning of items for the Japan Disaster, which explains why I was wearing the "Fashion for passion for Japan" shirt. You could say I offered to help out the booth since I was there and there was time to rest in between shows. Later on, we were selling the shirts for $50 a piece and ALL proceeds would go to Japan. Footages of Japan's disaster that were compiled by us were shown before Edison took the stage and sang his own song composition dedicated to Japan.

The song brought tears to many eyes, and many were so keen to help Japan. A lot of time and effort was poured in to help bring this message across that Japan really needs our help. From the bottom of my heart, on behalf of the people of Japan and the team of "Fashion for passion for Japan", I thank all the people who donated, because as I type this another earthquake with magnitude of 7.1 just happened near the east coast of Honshu, and a 3-feet tsunami has hit north eastern coast of Japan. Oh yeah! Try and spot me in the photo above. =)

Of course, we also celebrated that our hard work paid off, and that Men's Fashion Week Asia 2011 was a huge success! The fund raising was also well-received. So here's a picture of the team of volunteers, Utt and myself. It was pretty much the second last and the last day where I took pictures with people. It was more of the last day where I took pictures with the awesome people I've worked with. Please bear with the pictures cos I was damn tired that's why I looked so CUI.

With Roger

With Eu-Jin

With Jave

You have no idea how glad I was to see Fiona Xie on the friggin' last day. Cos' I missed her on Thursday as I left early. Whatever happened on that day was pretty hilarious and she leaned on my back. But oh well, I'll leave out the details because it was all part of the fun. =)

They were actually running from the backstage along the fashion runway with Fiona tagging along behind. With such a fun personality, it's no wonder he was chosen to be the voice of Men's Fashion Week. Oh! How could I forget, I got hold of Christopher Lee at the VIP Lounge and snapped a picture with him.

Pardon the focus cos it's Ben who took the picture. A pity Fann wasn't there that day. Oh well. What more can I ask for when I managed to get a picture with Eduardo Saverin - The Co-Founder of Facebook!! He was like, pretending, "Why do you want a picture with me?" Nice try, but I'm a geek so I know that the real Eduardo Saverin looks nothing like ~~Spider-Man~~ Andrew Garfield.

Actually, there's a lot more for me to post, But I'll stop here for now. I hope to be able to cover all 5 days of what happened at MFWAsia. If you came to support us, THANK YOU. If you missed it, we still have Women's Fashion Week coming up this September. Stay tuned people! I'll update again when I have the time cos I am friggin' busy and multitasking right now.

The New 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 02:43:00 +0000

Without a doubt, the new 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 that replaces the Lamborghini Murcielago LP-640 is mother effin' sexy. Design wise, I feel that the new Aventador has pushed itself ahead of its predecessor, making the replacement a very much well-rounded update. It has the curves of the Reventon, but with massive upgrade to the interior as well as technology of the car.

The speedometer of the Aventador is replaced with a full TFT Display connected with the latest integration of the MMI infotainment system developed by AUDI that is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra platform.

Plus, the navigation system is also quite advanced, featuring 3D maps and other stuff, all of which require quite a hefty amount of computing power, with a minimum electrical power consumption, this being specifically the area of expertise of NVIDIA's Tegra. To be clear, that’s 3D graphics, not 3D visuals. Tucked under “the hood” is a 691hp V12 hood, goes from 0 to 100 in just 2.9 seconds and hitting top speeds of 217 mph. Plus, it’s topped off with a carbon fiber composite body, which gives the super car a hefty retail price of US$350k.

You would mostly likely recognize a lot of Audi interior accents that is similar to Gallardo. It has the same control knob found on almost all Audis and similar switched found in the Gallardo and it's accompanied by the orgasmic jet-fighter-like red flip that hides a START/STOP button inside. The steering wheel, gauges, and other controls look very finely made and are real eye-catchers.

It is reported that the name Aventador follows the same lines as other Lamborghini names. Both the Lamborghini Murcielago and the Reventon were named after fighting bulls. Likewise, Aventador refers to a Spanish fighting bull from 1993. The bull came from a breeding barn belonging to the sons of Don Celestino Cuadri Vides. It must have been considerably strong to have its name bestowed upon the most powerful Lamborghini ever built.

Here's a comparison of the Murciélago and the new Aventador. I think both are pretty much drool worthy eh? The release date is about this summer, but I doubt it'll reach the shores of Singapore anytime soon. It'll usually take 2-3 years for most cars, so I'm guessing this may take a little longer, or maybe not at all.

a-JAYS by JAYS

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:23:00 +0000

About 2 years ago, I got my Beats Tour by Dr. Dre, which was being featured in many music videos, and I loved it much that I decided to post about it. I still love the cable which was very well-designed so as not to have it easily entangled. BUT!!!!!! It's getting way too commercialized. Y'know back in those days, standing out with Beats By Dre was pretty cool because no one else had them "mee pok" cables.

If you're thinking that I was trying to stand out, wrong. I just don't like to follow the crowd. Remember at one stage where everyone was using Audio Technica? How about Skull Candy? But see where the crowd is going now. Everyone's using Beats. And to be honest, I'm kinda irritated to see 'em everywhere. Even the stupid "HOME" video by whoever filmed it is just tryin' to act all American and commercialized. No shit, I destroyed mine and I was using my iPhone earphones till just then while I was in search for something that's better.

Forget DIDDY BEATS, forget GAGA HEARTBEATS, forget JUSTBEATS (Justin Bieber). While MONSTER CABLE's earphones still can be pretty enticing to get, I was trying to move along to something better. 50 CENT's Sleek isn't gonna get me going gaga and neither is Jay-Z's stupid partnership with Skull Candy to come up with ROC Nation Aviator. Soul by Ludacris looks kinda good, but I'm still keeping it as ONLY an alternative. Screw y'all conformers...

While I may prefer smaller headphones, I was actually considering V-MODA, which I have had a good experience with in the past. Yes. I was looking at V-MODA'S CROSSFADE CUSTOMS. You can actually have what you want printed on the earphones, but then again, the designs are actually pretty limited. But heck it. I found something better. Much better.

Enter the new earphones a-JAYS by JAYS. First thing that caught my attention was the similar tangle-free flat cable that Beats By Dr. Dre had.And while a-JAYS had 4 products in that series, I decided to try the entry-level a-JAYS One. IT. BLEW. ME. AWAY. No really. While I was expecting some mediocre sound, a-JAYS One delivered music to my ears way better than what my Beats Studio did. The earphones itself is already very bass driven, so there's no need to set your EQ to Bass Booster on your iPod/iPhone.

While I went on to try a-JAYS Two and a-JAYS Three, the sound quality of a-JAYS Two was almost the same as a-JAYS One, but with an extra decibel (96dB), stereo splitter and Flight adapter. a-JAYS Three was actually a little too crisp for my liking. I had to turn on the Bass Booster on that one to bring down the treble and crisp sound. The good thing is that the sound is very detailed. But I didn't like it too crisp the way it did. a-JAYS Four was different. It had a full-feature three-button remote for Apple’s iPhone and options to play/pause music and videos, answer/hang up calls, skip songs, volume up/down and voice control, etc. The only problem I had with it was the L-shaped plug.

But guess what? I like the a-JAYS One. People who know me would say that I'd usually get the one which has the most features and great sound. And yes. Great sound is what I need, and it's what a-JAYS One delivered. I bought it for only S$48/-. Yes. An awesome earphones for that price is absolutely worth it. Though it's 95dB and has a frequency response of only 20 Hz - 18 000 Hz, the sound quality is still great. With such great sound quality and same brilliant cable design, I was sold.

Surprisingly, they didn't have a cheaper package for the lower end a-JAYS One. It retained its consistency in packaging, which I thought was pretty cool. Bottom line is that the earphones pack a punch with its great sound deliverance, and I feel that the sound is definitely comparable or better than Monster Beats. Plus, I bought it at only at S$48 (US$37), which is a steal. I'd say, It's a MUST BUY!

a-JAYS One specifications:
8.6 mm Dynamic Speaker
Sensitivity: 95dB @ 1kHz
Impedance: 16 Ohm @ 1kHz
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 18,000 Hz

Apple Unveils Thinner, Faster iPad 2

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:45:00 +0000

The much awaited iPad 2 event just ended with updates to the tablet. Due to recent reports with Steve Jobs dying from cancer, it wasn't sure if he would make an appearance at today's event. The crowd greeted him with a standing ovation when he entered the stage. We all know an Apple event can never be complete without Steve Jobs. While they poked fun at HoneyComb (Android) with only 100 apps, it's no wonder why iPad still remains as being unchallenged for now.

15 million iPads were sold in 2010 within 9 months, from April to December and now has a market share of over 90%. The event showed a video where iPad being used for different occasions like work and school, doctors using it, professionals using it, the device helping autistic children to learn. It was amazing. The new iPad was unveiled to be 33% thinner than it predecessor and even thinner than your iPhone 4, with a new A5 chip that has dual-core processors that us able to run up to 2x faster CPU and 9x faster graphics.

The new iPad also comes with video cameras - both rear and front-facing cameras that allow FaceTime calling AND Photo Booth taking. The same Photo Booth application that comes with every Mac, is now available on the iPad 2. Something very interesting is that the iPad 2 now supports HDMI mirrored video output of up to 1080p. And the best part is that it works with ALL apps.

Another interesting release was the case for the iPad 2. Brilliantly designed, the case now latches itself magnetically on the side of the iPad 2 with auto-alignment (how cool is that). Plus, it's got a microfiber cloth that cleans the screen and they come in polyurethane or leather. Sadly, it will not work with the original iPad. It doesn't matter though, once you've set your eye on this. As usual, it comes it a variety of colors for you to choose from to suit your personality.

iPad 2 comes with the release of iOS 4.3, a much needed upgrade from the stupid iOS 4.2, that screwed up a lot of iPhones, including mine. For that update, iPhone 4 gets to tether wirelessly, or what Apple would call a "personal hotspot". It's about time as Android has had this feature for quite a while already. iOS 4.3 will be available on March 11, the same day that iPad will be shipping in US.

Other updates include new apps for the iPad such as GarageBand and iMovie. Overall, it still has some pretty good updates. Maybe just not that good to entice me into getting the new iPad 2.

Bentley's Collection of iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry Cases

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:23:00 +0000

With the success of iPhone and iPad, it's no surprise that the luxury car maker Bentley Motors, is joining the market for mobile accessories. The company is launching a slew of hand-crafted leather cases for the iPad, iPhone and BlackBerry devices.

The cases were all inspired by the Beluga and Hotspur interior trim colors of the Bentley Continental Supersports, and is part of a larger partnership between the auto company and luxury leather maker Ettinger, Bentley said in a statement. Price wise, you're looking at £45 for either of the phone holsters or £89 for the iPad-sized model. That's about S$93 and S$185, respectively.

Other collections that were a result of that partnership include wallets, passport cases, luggage labels and portfolios, among others. But I'm diggin' the iPad case the most. Drooling? Why wouldn't you be?

MacBook Pro refresh and Mac Developer Preview of OS X 10.7

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 13:35:00 +0000

Few days ago on Steve Job's Birthday, the MacBook Pros were given an update. The lowest end 13' MacBook Pro now has an Intel Core i5 Processor, 320 GB of hard disk space, but with no dedicated graphics card. The 15' MacBook Pros have been upgraded to AMD's Radeon HD Graphics Card together with Intel HD Graphics. Even the lowest range of 15" MacBook Pro now carries an Intel Core i7 processor. Someone actually asked me "Doesn't Radeon belong to ATI?" Well, AMD owns ATI, which means AMD owns Radeon. I'm just wondering why is there no dedicated graphics card for at least the higher end 13" MacBook Pro. I mean, if someone wants to work with power without the large screen, it would be an option for many. One thing to note is that the battery life has been lowered to 7 hours from the previous 10 hours due to Apple's new wireless web testing to measure battery life by wirelessly browsing 25 popular websites (with flash) with display brightness set to 50%. It's apparently their so called "real-world" testing. At least, we now know the configuration is actually more to how most people would use their laptops instead of giving us some unrealistic number.: There's an interesting introduction of the new Thunderbolt port. Previously the mini display port, it now too serves as a high speed input output that allows multiple streams of uncompressed HD video from notebook. There have been videos online to show a 5GB file transfer through the port within a matter of seconds. And it's also the possible reason why the USB port was not upgraded to USB 3.0. The new Thunderbolt port allows even allows connection to HDTVs with HDMI ports. Very impressive indeed.

Together with the refresh of the MacBook Pros, developers got their hands on the Developer Preview of OS X Lion 10.7 through the Mac App store. What I think is that Apple wants to axe the optical disc drive and having the Mac App Store as a whole new way of distributing or purchasing apps. However, the Mac App Store probably wasn't ready for the high traffic, plus it seems that developers who started the download weren't able to resume their paused download or resume from a broken internet connection. Ultimately causing the App Store to come to a screeching halt.

But as usual, the new OS X Lion 10.7 has got a whole bunch of support and great new features. It's good to see Apple always reinventing and pushing themselves further. Some new features have been added:
• Auto Save — As in iOS, documents will be saved automatically so users don't have to worry about manually managing their documents.
• Resume — Applications resume in the same state when re-opened as already seen in iOS. Because of this, the Dock no longer visually indicates whether an app is currently running or not.
• AirDrop — Mac-to-Mac file sharing.
• Mail 5 — Uses UI similar to iPad, fullscreen-optimized, chronological "Conversations" view, and support for Exchange 2010.
• System Information - This feature is a re-design of "About This Mac" and has been completely altered with new views which display graphical information on displays, storage devices, memory usage along with other hardware information.
• Versions — Time Machine-like saving and browsing of past versions of documents.

Many changes to the user interface are included, with new buttons and "sliding switches". The metal finish has also been slightly altered. The dock no longer shows which apps are running (unless a toggle is set) and scroll bars now disappear similar to iOS when they are not being used. Besides, dropping their full-screen media center, Front Row, Mac OS X 10.7 will also drop support for Java Runtime, Rosetta. Java Runtime, which comes out of the box with both Leopard and Snow Leopard, allows for the running of “100% pure” java-based apps. If you need it though you can still download a version slightly later than the one currently available for Snow Leopard, just take note that it is no longer built-in.

The second feature for the chop is support for Rosetta. Simply, Rosetta allows Intel-based Macs to continue running older versions of software not meant for Intel-based Macs. It’s a bridge platform. Sadly, with Lion, support for running PowerPC code on these new machines via Rosetta is completely gone.

Someone's pretty sour about Mac OS X 10.7 having support for SSD TRIM, saying that Microsoft had the support over a year ago. I don't really care if support was really happening a year ago. The fact is nobody uses SSD on Windows machines even though you had support. Whereas, Mac users who are using MacBook Air has SSD, which calls for the support of TRIM. Not a big deal. It's like saying IE announced privacy protection and FireFox and Chrome are now catching up. Slow they are, but at least it isn't like IE, that is not supporting a lot of what developers need. Chrome, Firefox and Safari are all supporting HTML5 with a great deal of resources. IE9 sadly, was still lagging behind. It's good that it's catching up, but don't gloat.

Cleaning up unused bits of deleted files on SSDs requires a sophisticated balancing act between making sure the drive is clean and ready for new write operations, while also limiting unnecessary wear, as the flash cells used by the devices wear out relatively quickly after a finite number of erase/write cycles, compared to the very long life of the recording surfaces of magnetic storage disks. The TRIM command is part of the ATA interface standard. So far, it appears Apple's support in Lion is only activated for SSDs shipped by the company and not third party devices, but this is likely to be fleshed out more as Lion develops.

Challenges Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:54:00 +0000

It's been a physically and mentally challenging week for me as there have been so much things to be done while dealing with other issues. While some classmates may say that it's the holidays, those who've started working on their projects would know that it's not that easy. Plus since I'm in the sponsors committee, I've the responsibility to search for sponsors for the Graduation Show. On Monday, I had meetings with National Library Board with our contract renewal as I launched my second company, and I'm still working on it to have everything in place.

So don't complain if you only have projects to do for now, because if you still have time for going out to chill or have some booze, it means, you have time. I managed to squeeze time out to leave a day free for an event at Microsoft, but still had people fixing up group meetings at the last minute. Making things a little difficult on my side.

Well, I attended the meeting, but the person who set up the meeting was late. Terribly late, might I say. And while I said before hand that I had to leave by a certain time, I didn't feel good about it, leaving the other team members to discuss amongst themselves. I was greeted by the awesome view at Microsoft that certainly made things a little better.

I dropped onto my bed as soon as I got home, and I woke up at about 2am to work again. I had trouble sleeping few nights ago, complaining about my insomnia on twitter. But even though I'm tired, my brain just kept on working non-stop. While it's unbelievable how I got this far, I'm pretty excited about the stuff we're gonna do. And we're gonna be so good at it. =)