National Day Celebration cum Town Day at Hougang

Engaged by an event company for National Day cum Town Day at Hougang Ave 10, that was a big event! Doing open air caricature for event, you must always prepare to handle the public crowd, because public was not belonging any companies, so they could be demand the free drawing event you told them the free caricature service was closed upon your working schedule. Today’s crowd quiet ok for me.I ever came across few times that some people wanted to beat me due to unable to get the free drawing! So after such inccidents, I always tell the crowd in the last 30minutes in advance I will close at what time and within 30minutes I only can draw up to how many persons in then crowd. Maybe such event had been running almost 18 years long as my working experience, lost people had been getting free caricature during those years, mostly are more polite and behave themselves from recent years.

Smashed BMW, Untittled

An event at Marina Mandarin Hotel

Did a pre-event for NTUC-ARU dinner and dance at Marina Mandarin Hotel, this time I am not in-charge caricature drawing, I in-charge fortune telling item, as a palmist; because the theme is Shanghai Night.I am a professional palmist and face reader, not just because of the theme made me swop from a caricaturist to a palmist. I had studied related metaphysics from different masters and spent lots courses fees..

I like Marina Mandarin Hotel’s building design, and the interior of it as well.

For the pre-event activities, other then my palm reading, there also having chinese calligraphy on chinese fan by My Yung Cheong Thye, one of the famous and professional locqal calligrapher in Singapore, and also having ‘dragon bead candy’, chinese flour doll figurine making demo, airbrush fake tattto and glamour shoots around.

Getai, an entertainment during Chinese LUnar 7th month

Today, Chinese Lunar month’s last day of 7th month, you still able to see the Getai’ street concert show, not the last day of it nuy is second last day having chance to see it, maybe thet related organisation made it last day’s performance on Sunday, that’s why tomorrow we still got chance to see it.

The programme of the concert other than singer’s performance, it also having some jokes present by the emcee with the singers, this yest we also can see a ‘Chinese Opera Mask Changing’ “变脸” perfomance in some Getai, as long the organiser arranged the budget for it, because it is an expensive item to hire a Mask Changing Artist in an event. There only few Chinese Opera Mask Changing artist in Singapore, most of them are from china.
The attraction of the Getai is usually can see many singers in fancy costume especially the female singers, they apperaence are the main soul of the Getai show. The Getai ever getting ‘Old’ because after many years performance in chinese lunar 7th month, the song always old song, the singers mostly older age etc..May be due to the movie “881” and “12 Lotus” given a new life of the Getai, attracted much more youger group audiences. You also can see more younger singers in the Getai show now.I like ‘宝贝姐妹’(Bao Bei sisters, I just translated it direct, did not know their english team name) because they are sween and sexy! They even have fan to do make up and hleping them during the Getai show!

Getai - The Street Concert during ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’

Getai, is a Chinese term ‘歌台’ which mean street concert. That is one of the activities to entertain the god and related officer from hell and the people who donate the money for the ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’ celebration as in Chinese religion; it fall in Chinese lunar year’s 7th month.

Getai’s activities similar to street concert’s productions which having tentage, stage and backdrop set-up, live bands and the main soul of the event – the emcee and the singers. It’s crowd pulling events, because it’s entertaining, which attract many old folks; basically since is an religions related activities, it definitely lots senior people involved.

Hungry Ghost Festival celebration and the entertainment could be in traditional Chinese puppet show but getai is the most welcome event.

Nowadays, the singers whose sang the songs were came from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia & China etc. They might sing the song in varieties of dialects including Malay song, changing their flamboyant costumes a few times during their performance.
Xiaohei (real name is Raju Kumara) who came from Malaysia is one of the popular singer during the Getai event. Rawi Hamin also another popular singer, I met him few times in various events. Other famous local Getai artistes including Karen Lim, Nicole Lai...etc. Susie Wong should be also in the list if I am not wrong because I had came across Susie's pole dance performance photo in the Getai through the net. There also some young artistes which is polytechnic students, and 5-6 years old children appear in the Getai show.According the newspaper, their income was count in per song they sing, and they may be running around to many Getai in different places within one night; of course not everyday having that much of the street concert during the whole Chinese lunar 7th month; anywhere, seems their income not bad as well, but as an entertainer’s view, it is a seasonal jobs, hence nothing to be jealous about their income.

It does have 2 movies about the Getai story which is “881” and “12 Lotus” which produced by Singapore, directed by Director Royston Tan.That was very interesting infos and photos in the blog of the director Ryston Tan.
You still got time to catch the Getai Live show as per www.stomp.com.sg ‘s Getai A gogo schedule:
27 Aug Wednesday (Chinese lunar calander : 27th day of the 7th month)
Blk 602, Yishun Opposite Polyclinic
Geylang Lorong 1
Changi Beach
Near Queens Street (In front of OG)
Blk 3018 Bedok North Street 5, East Link Light Industrial Factory
(Starts at 7pm - 22 Singers)

28 Aug Thursday (Chinese lunar calander : 28th day of the 7th month)
Blk 171, Stirling Road
Red Hill Leng Kee Car Mart
Yishun 924 Central 1

29 Aug Friday (Chinese lunar calander : 29th day of the 7th month)
Blk 280, Yishun Avenue 7
Blk 1 Lor Liew Lian

30 Aug Saturday (Chinese lunar calander : 31st day of the no.7th month)
Blk 77, Whampoa Market
Blk 45, Owen Road

31 Aug Sunday (Chinese lunar calander : 1st day of the.8th month)
Blk 134, Jalan Bukit Merah
Blk 77, Whampoa Market

Caricature of Singapore River

Did an event at Maybank Tower and that was great I have chance again to work in a high floor building and able to have a good view of Singapore River and the city view. I taken these photos inside the building using my handphone.That was a fireworks show at 9pm, all the guests was very enjoy viewing the fireworks from the building. I left the building and took some photos at the ground floor, next to The Fullerton Hotel. The fireworks had attracted many pedestrian and people stopped their steps and taking the photos of the firework, it was one interesting day!

Beijing Olympics Games 2008

Olympic Games is big event in the world, my favorite game is gymnastic.That was surprisingly this year having some photos about Chinese cheerleaders in the event that was something very interesting and cute!see the related web address here.

Dinner and dance at Carlton Hotel Singapore

Did caricature drawing for Asia Mall Dinner and dance at Carlton Hotel, the theme is ‘Retro’, All the guest had come in retro attire, that was very interesting although I had came across thousands theme based event, I still like to see the guest came in costume, sometimes could be very dramatic feel.The glamour shoot photographer is preparing their stuffs before the event start.I like the ‘Tropical’ designed lounge in Carlton Hotel.

Death Race

Went to watch an action movie ‘Death Race’, the movie was interesting and nice in my view, because I like to see the effect of this movie. Of course you can’t expect strong storyline in such a strong movie, but it definitely worth to watch in the cinema.I like to watch movie, based on current technology and cheap home based sound and visual electricity equipment, lots movie can watch on your PC or LCD TV, but for those strong effect type of movie, I prefer watch it in the cinema. You may having a very big house and big room, but you might not able to switch your sound volume into maximum level, else you may get complaint be your neighbour.

Drawing style

Came across today’s newspaper which reported article of “The Singapore International Jewellery Show 2008”. According the report, the organizer was promote the craft of fusing with jewellery with art. I found the artwork of the artist Thomas Deigo Aermonia was amazing; his painting was having a nice and unique style, strong style which I talking about.

Caricature Drawing, Caricaturists In Singapore

Not only me, have lots of the artists in Singapore believed the best full time Caricaturists was Jit of Portrait Workshop. If I say he is the longest caricaturists who open a shop doing caricature, portrait drawing and illustrations in full time, who can be deny that? Maybe Einstein or Eric Ng or Pak Ah Bee (the long hair guy at Clarke Quay last time before this place gets renovated) was doing full timing that longer then him.

Many peoples had copying his drawing style, lots people tried to break his standard; if he not the best, why up to today still lots people keep copying his style? Haahaa! If you do some research, besides the newspapers and related editorial caricaturist, no matter how they claim they are having their own style, end of the day it was looks almost the same.

I didn’t copy Jit style, maybe that’s why I still in the rank at number 999; haahaa! I salut Jit, one of my brother, he is real cool, he do his own drawing and did not simply copy people’s work nor blogging style and so fort.

Thought the illustration and caricature drawing market in Singapore was real small, another thing was the customers who order caricature drawing, cant’ really accept too contemporary drawing style, ‘must be looks alike’ is the golden rules here, unless you are doing it for editorial, that was different matter, that could be the reason why not much caricaturist can break this rules.

Because by end of the day, after taking so much effort to do the drawing, you also need to ensure you can collect the payment, not like some artists get reject and put the drawing in the shop yet owing framing fees from the framing shops.

Art could be very subjective, sometimes you had taken lots effort to draw the guest, yet they could tell you that the drawing totally not looks like them at all, every caricaturists in the world sure experienced it and facing it once in a while, not because I am the only people who face this before (although I am in ‘rank number 999’) haahaa! So I would not like to talk bad about other artists to higher their own image, because it is equally laughing at you self.

Charcoal Drawing

There are some events company requested tom do caricature or portrait using charcoal. Usually I will do it in a bigger piece paper with an easel (drawing stand). I prefer using easel and bigger piece paper because I like the freedom of my hand movement while drawing; that was lots fun but of course, draw in bigger piece and using easel, you can put your hand weight on the paper, your hands will draw without and thing to support your hands and arms, it could be quiet tiresome if not use to it.That was no longer 2 minutes drawing, event it you can do it within 2 minutes, but after few pieces, if you don’t have a strong arm, your speed will be slower and slower, I mean talking about an hour’s booking to draw the guests in the event.Sometime I draw caricature, sometime I draw quick portrait while using charcoal with easel on big paper, depend on how the person being drawn can be inspired me.

So many artists claimed that they doing caricature for event much longer then me event I had been doing it 15yrs ago. I did believe Einstein is the first person who do caricature in event, in Singapore, he is the pioneer.

Eric Ng, one of the pioneer caricaturists who drawn in Orchard Road Midpoint building (if I am not wrong) was using easel and big size paper, Einstein did it as well. Thought nowadays you hardly see them during dinner and dance because they were successes in their own business.

Caricature at Meritus Mandarin Hotel

Engaged by an event company to do live caricature drawing for MIWU’s dinner & dance. Meritus Mandarin was having renovation outside the building; I heard they will make over part of the hotel to extend a new building portion for shopping mall.There was a calligrapher in the event, writing the guests’ name in a small wooden piece. Alison was in-charge bodyart.

Chinese Seventh month Ghost Festival

In Chinese traditional custom, the 7th month of Chinese calendar was ‘ghost festival’, which believed the ‘government of the hell’ had release some of the ‘citizen’ or their ‘prison’ and some related god come to our life world for free activities until end of Chinese 7th month.

During this period, usually lots Chinese will try to pray for good luck and also donate some money and clothes (which made by special papers) through burning it to them.; this is the way to deliver it to the ghosts’ living dimension.

Some temple has take this chance to do some activities like fund raising and engage some stage performance to entertain the god and ghost during the 7th month ghost festival.

Watch Singapore National Day Celebration at NTUC Building!

That was great that I had a booking for caricature for NTUC Club at NTUC building, One Raffles Boulevard! I am able to watch the ceremony from the building and as well as watching it thru the projector in lives in the event room! Very dramatic and fantastic experience!

2-3 minutes caricature drawing on 8th Aug 08

I was engaged to draw caricatures on the openning of Jelutung Community Centre at Canberra, near Sembawang MRT. The respond was overwhelming.
Alan, the expert juggler was ther!Some other entertainers was around.But this gut never follow me to the event n sleep at home, heeheee!