Adrenalin ...

getting briefed

us going round the corner

home sweet home

I didn't even know how i got there but all of a sudden, my name was called out by the MC for some lucky draw I didn't even know I took part in?! I've never won a lucky pick in my life EVER..What a way to go about it. All I remember was being asked to write my name on a torn piece of paper with the company I work with. I thought they needed it because I hadn't brought along any business cards with me. So apparently I had won a passenger's seat in a supercar that can go from 0-100km/hr in 2.5s... I got to sit in a supercar built by McLaren, driven by finnish 2 time F1 world Champion Mika Hakkinen!! It felt really scary at first when we really picked up speed (like falling off the roller coaster) but as soon as the adrenalin kicked in, I was liking it very much.. Ha.. as they say: just another day at the office. What a nice way of starting F1 season. Woot!

An Apple a Day ...

Sometime in 1998, I started using the computer very intensively.

And it was a Mac. The good old 7300 desktop apple computer. I needed it for design school and we were cool then. At that time, no one was using macs. Itunes was not accessible to PC users. We were nearly viewed as the 'outsiders' for using something so rare. Back when the old apple computers looked like purses, like ice apples, as laptops. I remember my friend Ming had one which was so cool especially when he showed off his portfolios on them to couples hiring him as their wedding photographer. Then for the next 9 years, I was converted. I had to use a PC for work til yesterday (well technically til after the F1. It's too soon to the next assignment to switch systems). The Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch landed in the office. In a box so big I could fit Nate in it. It sure made a grand entrance. The thing is, now i'm the jurassic one who has totally lost touch with apple computers. I don't really know where to start. Don't wanna mess up the system. I know its easy. It's a Mac.. blah blah.. blah.. It's idiot proof.. but yeah, even switching mobile phones take a little bit of time for some adjustments. Disoriented that's what they say! But it's all happening... i'm so excited. HA!

Rain

There's something really special about the rain.. it really calms the mood and helps relaxes the mind.. Nice...

The Genee International Ballet - behind the scenes

note to self: (you don't have to read this. its' just my visual diary so I can recollect my experiences cause it's really kinda long) The last photo essay that I was really passionate about, finishing it feeling happy, at peace, and satisfied was about 9 years ago. It was when I spent 3 weeks in and out of Chiang Mai with the Sangha Metta group which worked closely with people living with HIV and AIDS. It just came to a point when I started thinking very hard about it, got into it, stopped thinking about it and allowed the story to unfold in front of me -where I could get close, then step back, dettach and start shooting again. It's really hard to find that balance where I got close enough but not too close so that I didn't start to go blind to things happening around me. That's when I really feel like i've not only been able to shoot and document what I cared deeply about, but was able to do it from just enough distance where the power of observation was not interferred with my personal feelings to a point of being indulgent or too shallow. I personally feel that that is the best equilibrium where story telling is concerned. Three to four months ago, I found out that the Genee International Ballet was coming to town. I flirted with the idea of doing a photo essay. Just pretty pictures, nothing much. Then the time came and I was suddenly thrown into action. I have often given short talks in friend's documentary classes where I would share experiences and give feedback to shooters. All of a sudden, I found myself on the other end. It felt really weird. I felt a little worried about what I was able to capture but I managed to focus and allow the story to unfold. As I did that, I started to feel the energy and vibe from the dancers. I started to feel inspired by their discipline and persistance. They dance, they fall, the pick up and start all over again. I started to realise that Ballet dancers were often very misunderstood. I used to just see the very pretty and graceful side of dancers. We fail to understand how strong they are simply because they make it look so easy. That started to pull me in the right direction and I started to enjoy myself. I love piano music, so this was a treat. At first, the dancers would react when they saw me but over the next 4 days, I guess i started to look like part of the furniture. They started getting really used to my presense, and maybe some trust was gained so they didn't mind that I was around. There were points when I would be right infront of them and they wouldn't even notice. All these things suddenly jolted me back to school days when we were taught about how the journey of a photo essay is often more valuable than the finished product. I totally agree. I learnt so much from these dancers. I've allowed myself to rekindle that passion for photography. Suddenly I am alive and inspired again. It just feels good to be back in action, doing something that I really love, knowing that I've still got it deep inside of me. The passion, that is. Apart from all these emotional lessons, I also tried my hand at putting together an audio multimedia sound piece. I've always admired fellow photographers who have done these. I've always wondered what editing sound would be like. I've always loved listening to the BBC sound stories. I've always wanted to try. There were some moments where i secretly wished that I was not given access to shoot certain things, so that I would have a lazy experience. It's quite mentally draining thinking of the "slideshow" and thinking about the photo essay and sound and how i want to piece everything together while shooting, editing and recording at the same time. There were days when I just felt like throwing up after editing days of work. I started forming ideas in my head.. hearing sounds all over again, stuff that I recorded. How I would piece them together. Eventually, I decided that I had enough photographs. The only missing shot was my parting photo and winner photo. So I decided to piece together as much as I could. The sound was put together first. In this case, sound was important other than for the obvious reasons that it would be an AUDIO slideshow. I already had all these photos, and it would be easier on me to match pictures with my sounds. So that was what I did. Maybe it helps to have a bit of music training. So i understand the timings but that's not important. It just helps. I had to download free demo softwares to edit sounds. Learnt it on Youtube, and tried my hand at it. I realise that it was never too hard, I was just really lazy last time. I dunno if I took the right steps to get where I did but all I knew was that I had it all in my head, and i just had to get it out down into the computer. Somehow. This is the Result: http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_entertainment/ballet_competition/index.html I'm really happy because the edit went out exactly the way (well, 98percent) I made it. It's really very satisfying. Playing with audio is very very fun. It brings your photos to another dimension. I'm really inspired to try more in future. I'm really blessed to have so many people support me in this, helping me make calls, making this work, pitching the ideas, talking me through it and encouraging me, allowing me to achieve another level in my own abilities and most importantly, being able to communicate with everyone through my photos, giving these ballerinas as much exposure and a glimpse into the real work that gets them where they are. They are super. Super fit, Super strong, mentally and physically. I am so inspired by them and I can only hope that I can translate that into photos and inspire others as well through their moments. There's so much love to spread!!!! so happy. I know that later on, as I set out to do more, this is gonna look like it was no big deal and it would prolly look really amature.. that's the fun part about diaries.. hopefully I can grow on and learn on and move on. WOOT!

Text block - the writing bit... this is not going to be a habit. Shooting's more fun. But you gotta do what you gotta do. Thank you Eds.

Young finalists compete to win ballet gold medal

By MAYE-E WONG, Associated Press Writer Maye-e Wong, Associated Press Writer – Thu Sep 17, 6:20 am ET

SINGAPORE – Dance for your life.

That's what finalists in the Genee International Ballet Competition had to do to win the gold.

At the Genee, kids between the ages of 15-19 are given a taste of what life would be like as a professional dancer, going through eight-hour long coaching sessions and learning new steps for the competition's Commissioned Piece — a work most dancers found to be the toughest routine physically.

Regarded as the Olympic Games of the ballet world, the flagship event of Britain's Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) attracts talent scouts, artistic directors and choreographers from all over the world.

This year's recent competition was the first time in its 78-year history that the Genee was held in Southeast Asia. The competition is open to those who have passed the RAD Advance 2 examination in classical ballet, or those who have been awarded the Solo Seal award, the final and top examination in the academy.

On-stage, fear and anxiety are masked by the deep smile and confident postures of the young performers who began dancing when they learned how to walk. Only 12 of the 53 semifinalists are chosen to move on to the finals and compete for a medal. Three dancers had to drop out after being injured.

For the finals, the dancers are judged on their footwork, musicality and ability to engage the audience. There have been years when no gold medals were given out because the judges felt the dancers were not up to scratch. So on the final night, the 12 finalists had to "dance to save their lives," hoping to make an impression deep enough so they could indeed start a professional life in dance.

___

Taken from Yahoo News

Women winners: Claudia Dean, 16, Australia (Gold); Nicola Wills-Jones, 18, Australia (Silver); and Daniella Oddi, 15, Australia (Bronze). Men: Paul Russell, 17, Australia (Gold); Daniel Roberge, 18, Australia (Silver); and Takeaki Miura, 18, Japan (Bronze).

Related Searches:

• artistic directors
• britain's royal academy of dance
• gold medals

I want one of these at home!!!!

Caption: A chinese Security guard looks at a remote controlled flying dolphin at the newly open China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Hello (:

If you have been reading this blog or just dropping by, do leave me a note to say Hi!... Jean, it was nice to see you the other night. (:

Yes, you can hug in a tutu

backstage, semi-finalists stretch before performing

Finalists have been chosen.

Tomorrow is a much deserved day of rest for me though i seem to be coming down with something _ must be from Nate.

Open Curtain...

calling home after her performance, having a quiet moment

It was a 11hr shooting day for me but it is all worth while. Pictures are coming together and I feel encouraged and settled. I take this as a good sign. I won't be putting up all the pictures as this is still a work in progress. I'm doing a photo essay on the Genee International Ballet Competition at the moment. It ends it's run on Saturday. Will give out more details when everything is finalised. In the mean time, here's a sneak preview of what's happening and there are heaps more to come in the next couple of days. I'm worn out and drained but totally satisfied. Things are still missing and there is much more to be done. I'm just enjoying shooting all over again, in a way that I love, where I don't have to worry about being "newsy". Feels like the good old school days again, except that i'm older and not as "photo fit mentally" as before. In photo essays, the journey is worth much more than the end product itself.

Tired

A ballerina naps during her lunch break

That's all for today folks. Time to go to bed and start over tomorrow.

It's slowly coming together..

Here's my shot of the day, well, actually from yesterday.. It's been quite a while since i've done a photo essay - it's a lot easier to teach than do. The mind has to be tuned to a certain channel, and i've got to remember to be detached from my photos when it comes down to the editing process. Step away, and look again. Think about what someone from the outside needs to know, would like to see having no clue what's going on. The tough part is marrying this with my own style and preference. It's so hard to find that balance sometimes. It's always good to have an outsider look at my work in progress. Will come to that soon. Time to re-group.

This is pretty good..

http://www.albello.com/Cockfighting/ It's a multimedia slideshow. I'm inspired to do something, now.. if I can only get the right sound for this.

Skinning the issue and looking into it

Earlier this year, while waiting on an assignment, a friend of mine who happened to work for the PR firm hosting the event asked me how I took care of my skin. I mumbled the words "nothing at all" under my breath, hoping she didn't hear me. All of a sudden all of them (we were in a group) turned around and gave me a "someone just died" look and said "WHAT?!" "Oh My Gosh!" "How can you live with yourself" and a "You are going to regret for the rest of your life"... Suddenly I felt a sense of panic..Immediate outcast! haha

me, bare, now.

Truth is, I'm too lazy. I never bothered and am still very lazy about this whole skin regime. I think i'm blessed with some good genes. Must be from my grandmother who had silky white skin for her whole life. I'm not being arrogant about it by taking it for granted but somehow I always had excuses. For one, I don't use make-up - I'm simple. Therefore the convenience to just wash my face with water as i shower and then dry it with a towel (the rougher the better - that's my rational.. haha gets more dirt off mah!) Secondly, I'm very active hence it would be very inconvenient to put on any moisturizer. Thirdly, I've always thought that it looked really off if someone like me, who dresses up in cargo pants and dry fit hiking shirts for work starts to put anything on the face. Then came the whole "I'm too tired" excuse as well. And in fact, the more I started to to use these facial washes, the more pimples i'd get. Maybe i've never really sat down and thought about it. So I did. I sat down and decided one day to figure out what all that fuss is about. Technically, if my face were to give up on me anytime now, it would be disastrous. I've spent almost all of my childhood with extended exposure to the sun from all that sailing training and competition. That's 20 years of direct sun exposure, sunburn skin (i've exfoliated so many times i think i have enough for wall paper). I'm suprised I haven't turned into a rasin. Plus, now i'm into the whole swim bike run thing, doesn't help me much. So factor in all these things, plus the fact that I hit the big 3o next year. You can safely say i'm in big trouble. My face will start sagging, soon you wouldn't be able to tell where my chin ends and my feet begins. Maybe it's time to start with the basics. I don't even know what they are. Wash? Scrub? Soap? Moisurise?! Pore what and what? I think my pores are big enough (in the beauty world) I can stuff spare change in them. Aiya. Thought I could escape this whole part of growing up. Time to do something about it. Maybe Maye-E.

I like very much

The Race Fever Begins

This is how I spent my Saturday arvo.. well actually from 10am to about 4pm_ now as i'm typing this from Changi International Airport. This afternoon, Porsche launched it's new car in a unique way. Part of the launch of the Porsche 911 GT3 Road Car, was some serious entertainment. They got their 911 GT3 Cup Car to race against a Jett8 Boeing 747 on the runway. Of course, I was biting my nails a little worrying about my shot and if the angle was not going to work from where we were but everything turned out smooth. So for all you sports car lovers out there.. here's a tiny peek for you. I'm going for lunch. (:

On a Happier Note..

Here's a sneak preview to what i'm working on for the next week for work_ hopefully my essay will bring me some pretty pictures. (It's really hard trying to make pretty pictures after shooting the news everyday. I have to switch channels but i'm sure it's just me getting into the groove of things.. all photos copyright Wong Maye-E)

OH and..

Re my last post about the letter of complaint... Just saw an automated reply from this person in Dell : Your email is important to us and we will attend to you soonest possible. ???!!!

First Letter of Complaint (hopefull the last)

I've never written any complaint letters in my life. Today was my first. I'm a very patient person and though I complain a lot in my head, its normally just "in my head". I don't let it out (unless you are a very close friend of mine or my husband), and then the angry moment just passes me by. Plus I always give the other party the benefit of the doubt. However today, I couldn't let it go. Maybe it was the fact that I woke up at 4am and am feeling really exhausted but that's not the reason why. This was just one of the catalysts. I've been using my Dell Latitude D610 for a long time. It's a company issue and basically the whole of AP uses Dell. That's the whole world. So you would think that we would receive some sort of professional support. Actually, it shouldn't really matter. I had our office technical adviser to order a battery for my lap top. It's not the standard battery but this one slots into the DVD drive. I made sure I found a link on the internet, along with a picture, before sending in an order which also included the model number and part type. Almost fool-proof right? NOT. They screwed it up. Not the first time, but the second. Exactly the same thing happened last year. Not only are they slow to respond if they choose to respond, they assume we were asking for the standard battery and sent it to us. After making that mistake, they totally ignored our technical adviser's gentle email asking them to advise us on this matter or if we should send it back etc.. Not a word until he wrote in again, sounding a little more urgent. And still, it was the sales guy who basically wrote in, asking his order-woman to respond. I thought it was very disappointing from a world class brand like Dell. So I had to write in. I told them that our guy did not deserve this kind of treatment and service. That we were a very very big client of Dell and even if we weren't I had expected a lot more from them in this competitive times. That simple and efficient service was a very basic expectation. Not only do their laptops suck. So does their service. Ok. I'm done. No more letters like that for me because it leaves me feeling a little disturbed, its not my style to write such letters or blog about but I just really needed to get it out of my system. Time to Reboot.