A few weeks back, my family attended my cousin's wedding ceremony to celebrate the critical moment of his life journey. This is the second wedding celebration, which I have ever attended. The first wedding celebration that I attended was way back in 2000, I guess?

We were cordially invited to attend the tea ceremony first before the wedding dinner because my dad seemed to be ranked as the second (or third) eldest person in the family tree and thus, the newly-wed couple has to pay their respects to my parents.

The couple paid their respects to my grandmother, my uncles and aunties and so on and so forth. It was really heart-warming for me to see how cheerful and vibrant everyone was in welcoming the couple to their new life. Red packets and gifts of gold were presented to the couple as they offered cups of tea to each of their elders.

         

After the tea ceremony was over, it was time for the couple to say their "I do"s!
A judge was there to bear witness as the couple exchanged rings and said proudly to each other, "I DO!". Many sweet and "Awww..." moments occurred, especially the kiss after the ceremony was over.

             

By the way, the wedding certificate looks magnificent.
A small incentive from the Singapore government to those who marry? Hmm...

After the official tea ceremony was over, the entire family headed up to wait for the ballroom to be opened. We were offered some light snacks as I caught up with some distant relatives whom I haven't met for quite some time. It is really amazing to see how each other grow up within such a short period in time.

The crowd, which include other relatives and friends of the couple, was also electrified as they waited patiently in excitement outside the ballroom. Some even wrote their well-wishes on a guest book.

At around 7pm, the doors of the ballroom were opened and people streamed in exuberantly to find their allocated tables. My family was allocated with the V.I.P table (much to my dismay because to be frank, I don't want to be a V.I.P) and we just sat there interacting with our relatives who were allocated with the same table as us.

To pass time, I just played around with my Sony Cybershot camera.

       

After a few minutes, the emcees for the wedding dinner invited the attendees to rise for the newly-wed couple as they sauntered their way through the smoky, carpeted platform and the explosion of roses from their playful friends. The couple then cut the wedding cake and approached the V.I.P table to have dinner with us. The dishes were obviously delicious and I could fondly remember how that bowl of noodles was the best noodle dish I've tasted in quite a while. The couple left the table after a few dishes to change into a new set of attire.
As the emcees invited the guests to rise once again for the return of the couple, one could note an obvious change in the bride's attire - A stunning red gown while the bridegroom seemed to have changed into a groovy green shirt, which is accompanied by the same coat. (Pardon my adjectives but "groovy green" sounds cool.)

       

The couple then requested everyone to toast for their future happiness.
The uncles and the couple's friends seemed to enjoy every bit of the "Yum Seng!"
Every "Yum Seng!" just got longer and longer, much to everyone's delight.

     

Nearing to the end of the dinner, the couple took the opportunity to thank everyone who made the event successful and memorable for the both of them. They even thanked the emcees who were only informed of their roles the day before the wedding. Poor souls indeed.

I really enjoyed my time at the wedding and bearing witness to a lovely couple who are going to enter into their next stage of life. From the bottom of my heart, I wished the both of you a blissful life ahead!

Cheers!
Mj Quek.

P.S. Now, if you're wondering whether this wedding has inspired me to break out of my single-hood, the answer is no. =)

It has been a while since I blog about something related to design.
I feel that it is good as designers to note that it is not always about how magnificent and creative your design is but what is essential is whether the desired message of the design has been received accurately by your target audience.

This brings me to my blog post: "On Target. On Strategy."
Professional designers, who work for advertising agencies, would have replied that designing for advertisements should always be focused on:

1. Describing the main objectives clearly
2. Explaining the benefits accurately
3. Highlighting specifically why consumers should buy that product

When fulfilling the above criteria, designers would find themselves delivering their messages on strategy.
Many times when designers design to express and not to impress, they find themselves creating advertisements that achieve results beyond their wildest dreams. Great advertisements get consumers to rethink their beliefs, attitudes, values towards a particular object, subject etc. (Part 2 coming soon...)

And so, I have finally done the most outrageous and controversial thing in my life: To abuse my relationship status on Facebook.
Yes. I know I sound like a weird, mad man who is desperate to change his relationship status but I had that intention.
Seeing how most people received their most number of comments on Facebook after changing their relationship status, I have been wanting to do this for a long time to see if that was true and to observe how some of my online friends would react.
However, I could not find any suitable and willing target to engage in an online "scandal".

And here came Sher, who popped the idea suddenly and randomly!
Being very shocked as to why she would also have that notion, I kinda agreed in realization that my opportunity to try out a social experiment has arrived! *Evil laughters*

Sher and I decided to go from "single" to "it's complicated" without any indication about who we are entering into a complicated relationship with at first. This move received 3 likes and 13 comments.

It is interesting to note how sharp Ms Kwa was by stating how this was all a set-up and asking people to stop believing it but there are still a substantial number of people who commented further and ignored Ms Kwa's presence. That is pretty sad. O wells ~

Then, we made our next move by putting an indication as to who we are in a relationship with.
And voila! 18 LIKES! 35 Bombarding comments!!! This is, by far, the most number of comments which I have received so far on my Facebook profile! Hypothesis proven.

There are some pretty interesting comments that I thought I should bring your attention to:

"IT'S A TRAP!!! - Admiral Ackbar" --- LOL. Another sharp soul who saw through the plan but no one cared. Sad.
"SWEET JESUS HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD congrats you 2" --- I LMAO after seeing the big reaction. It seems that both of us are an unlikely couple in people's mind.

"True love is true." --- Sher seems to be into the fake relationship. LOL.
"it's a social experiment by MJ. so it's not true! tho I don't understand why sher is playing along *scratches head* --- That is because we are meant to be in a relationship! LOL. Ms Kwa tried her best to spoil once again and Jordan seemed to catch it.
"LOL. i like how theres so many comments with one status change." --- Me too! The power of social media!

After a day of complicated relationship, we entered into a "true" relationship.
16 LIKES and a couple of comments.

"HAHAH MJ, youre the michelle to sher's barack" --- Although it sounded wrong, but I appreciate the comparison. Smart one.

And we decided to break apart after everyone started flaming us with "WTH!" and "WTF!".

Apparently, no one offered comments for this status change as compared to the previous.
On the other hand, Sher received quite a number of comments for returning back to single-hood as compared to how empty her profile page was previously even though she changed her status together with me at the same time.

Therefore, I came up with another conclusion:

"When a male enters into a relationship with a female, people will congratulate the male but not the female. This means more comments on the male's Facebook page but not on the female's. However, when the male breaks up with the female, people pity the female more and thus, more comments on the female's Facebook page but not on the male's."

This social experiment was out of curiosity and for fun, laughter, peace and joy.
I know it is not a fool-proof experiment but hey, the fun lasted.
If you're feeling hurt because you really did offer your sincere wishes, I'm really sorry about that.

Let me see if I can design another social experiment!
Mj Quek.

Being described as "versatile" and "sturdy & sleek" by many critics, Axiotron is no doubt a brilliant company to invent the one and only Mac Tablet available in the market currently. Meet the Modbook: The Tablet that incorporates Axiotron's hardware and software technology, a Wacom Penabled digitizer and an Apple Macbook.

Modbook is created for creative professionals, students and general users. In short, Modbook is made just for everyone who loves Macintosh as much as I do. Being a fanatic Apple fan, I drool like a retard just by staring at it. (Imagine that...)

Besides being able to use the default and third-party Macintosh applications, one can also make use of the tablet interface to enhance their user experience for popular softwares, such as Adobe Photoshop and Autodesk Sketchbook Express. The pen-based functionality just provides more versatility and mastery over the control of the desktop.

The interesting service that Axiotron provides is that they can produce a Modbook for you from the Macbook Base System which you supply to them. This means that you can give your current Macbook to Axiotron and they will convert it to a Modbook for you at a price of $899. You can also purchase the complete Modbook from Axiotron at $1849.

It is a pity that the Modbook is not supplied in Singapore.
I would love to get my hands on it.
You can check the Modbook out at: http://www.axiotron.com/index.php?id=overview

Mj Quek.

On November 24, 2009, Lady GaGa will release a new, deluxe edition of her four million selling debut album The Fame. The new release will include all of the tracks from the original album plus eight entirely new songs. The new material will deal with the seamier side of fame as experienced by Lady GaGa.

(via About.com)

I cannot wait for Lady GaGa's "The Fame Monster".
The tune of the new songs are so tempting.

"Just dance. Gonna be ok!"
Mj Quek.

SketchBook Mobile — a new iPhone App available for download on the iTunes App Store as of 9/17/09 — is a professional-grade paint and drawing application designed for artists, designers, and anyone who creates artwork for fun or work. Think of it as your handheld digital sketchpad to create artwork on-the-go.

(via http://www.autodesk.com/sketchbookmobile)

Thanks to @mkvlln for pointing that out on Twitter!
There are certainly a lot of stuffs you can do with this awesome app!

For me, this would have been the ultimate time-killer during those boring lectures!
Oops... I did say that, didn't I? Haha!

As for professional designers, this app would enable you to do a slick mock-up of your idea so that you can present to your clients straightaway without any hassle!

If only I have an iPhone right now...
O wells...

Mj Quek.

Amerie has released four studio albums (including "In Love And War") but sadly, this is my first time listening to her. It's a pity because Amerie sounds fantastic in her latest studio album, "In Love And War", which is her first with Def Jam Records.

The entire album is filled with strong R&B beats, which are stamped with Amerie's unmistakable signature.

My hot favourite from "In Love & War" is "Why R U".
The track is well-paced and cohesive with Amerie's slick vocal style while reminding one of the R&B tunes of the early 90s.
Do foresee yourself grooving to this track till the very end!

Amerie sounds classically awesome in "Different People" and "Dear John" as well.

"Different People" has a clean instrumental flow that shares close compatibility with Amerie's crisp vocals.
The single also has excellent lyrics which focus on how lovers shouldn't take their shared love for granted.

"Dear John" wraps up the album nicely with Amerie going sentimental and soft on this track, which ultimately puts the spotlight on the meaningful lyrics for listeners to dig in.

"In Love & War" also showcases Amerie's earnest collaboration with prominent stars, such as Trey Songz and Fabolous.
I appreciate "More Than Love", which features Fabolous, as a song which brings back tunes of the past in modernized style.
"More Than Love" also contains added flavor whereby one can hear a uniquely "in-song" relationship argument breakdown after the first verse.

Essentially, "In Love & War" is loaded with entertaining dance tunes and pleasant ballads that will leave you, well, in love with Amerie and at war with those people who hate her.

You definitely need to check this album out if you've the time!
Mj Quek.

It has been a long road for Carrie Underwood to reach to her third studio album, "Play On". 
After winning the fourth season of American Idol, Carrie has always been on the roll. 

Bagging numerous Grammy Awards and being inducted into Grand Ole Opry, the multi-platinum selling recording artist is currently the reigning Academy of Country Music Awards Entertainer of The Year.

All these accolades only mean one thing: Higher expectation for Carrie Underwood to deliver another breakthrough in "Play On".

The album begins with a rather playful and upbeat track, titled as "Cowboy Casanova". The track sounds fresh as the tune allows one's mind to be opened to a lesser known side of Carrie Underwood.

The rest of the album are filled with the usual pop-country elements that Carrie usually delivered in her previous two studio albums.

At her best, Carrie sounds epic with her depiction of delicate beauty and elegance.

"Mama's Song" is excellently touching with Carrie's varying vocal intonations.
I'm sure most teenagers can relate well with this particular track where it talks about allaying the worries and concerns of mothers.

Other of my favorites from "Play On" include "This Time" and "Unapologize".
"This Time" is another upbeat yet laid-back track with well-timed burst of powerful vocal prowess while "Unapologize" is a track that is filled with cool vibes of pop-rock. Her notable collaboration with Sons of Sylvia for "What Can I Say" reminds us how sweet and tender her voice can be.

Any breakthrough?
I would say no but this album is still solid on the whole.
"Play On" is for all music appreciators who love to hear different musical elements packaged neatly into one CD.

Mj Quek.
P.S. "In Love & War" coming soon...

                                 

5 November 2009 marked the first ever "oneworlday" event in Singapore Polytechnic. And it was a huge success!

Organised by the "BIH" (Business, IT & Humanities) cluster in SP, this event aimed to promote awareness and interest in Singapore Polytechnic students and staff members about the various cultures from all around the world. Various booths were set up by SP students and each booth represents different countries with their own unique set of cultural practices, ethnic items etc. There was even a station whereby students and staff members can dress up in different ethnic costumes and have a memorable photo-shooting session together.

There were also two emcees to coordinate the whole event as well.
Competitions to pit students' general knowledge about world's famous trademarks were organised at regular intervals.
It was kinda fun for my friends and I to support our classmates as they squeezed their brain juice to produce the correct answer for the various questions. Kudos to John, Sean and Elizabethe for doing our class proud by coming in 1st! =)

I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the Korean Paper Doll Making Workshop.
The Korean instructor was so professional in a sense that she made sure that everyone was on the same pace as her before she moved onto another complex step. The materials provided to complete the doll were of high quality too. The best part is that the whole workshop is free-of-charge, thanks to SP!

I do hope that more of such events can be organised not only for the "BIH" cluster but for the entire polytechnic.
Besides promoting interest and awareness for the various cultures, these meaningful events can also improve bonds between students from the nine different schools within SP.

Don't you agree?
Mj Quek.