Woke up from my social media slumber to very, very belatedly celebrate my short film Viola Isn’t Like Us winning Best Short Form Video (Social) at Asian Television Awards late last year. Yay! I’d insert a meaningful musing here but when I think back to when we made it, all I can say is this short film was born from as much pain as love. As soon as we wrapped, I burst into tears and ET and Ceci kindly ushered me away from prying eyes. Filmmaking is such a strange, wild and winding journey and really the only thing you can control is the choice to grab your friends and hold their talents hostage for the story and hope and pray you did your muse justice so it’s a wonderful surprise and honour to get an award. Thank you x1000000 @viddsee@reellocoproductions@locomotionsg@et.ng_@ceciheehee@kerxx@zolynnphua@xpecialeffects@pearlhjq@cool__cad@jenniferchaiwilkinson@facestm and many others whose socials I’m missing. Thank you for giving Viola a voice! X
Dear 2025, thank you for the unhinged year you were! I’d hoped you would be better than 2024 and in many ways, you were! 💖 But you also showed me the different faces fear, loss and growth can wear. Some quiet, some loud, some wrinkled and bent from the long wait in the shadows. Then in the next breath, the tides turn and I was struck by incandescent beauty and magic.
I think the best gift this year was coming into my own. I’ll always remember the first day in my home - a room of one’s own as Virginia Woolf called it. I’ll always remember the fire the crazy, wonderful people I met at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival sparked in me. I’ll always remember the days I had vege caifan to keep the lights on and my dream alive. You know what, turns out that being stubborn about one’s path is rewarding. Also, shoutout to CDC vouchers! 😭🤭
Thank you to friends and family for just being you and being here with me! 💕 I guess what I’m saying is thank you 2025 for everything. May 2026 be brighter, healthier and full of love, laughter and opportunities to grow and glow! ✨
PS. Photo by the one and only amazing @jeannefam 💕
It was when I was on this magical project with @jasmtsy@fxcody@charumenon that I got the wonderful news that I got into @bifanofficial Fantastic Film School! Super grateful for the last 6 months, super excited for the next 6 months!
Also it seems Jas and I have a habit of working close to the ground haha!
Photo by the inimitable @xpecialeffects
2024. Oof. What a gloriously mad year! Up, down and spin-it-all-around, let’s-blow-shite-up kinda mad. What a ride the year has been. I was looking through my photos for a favourite pix of the year and I just couldn’t pick one out of the many I had. And that’s when I realised that this year may have been tough and unrelenting but I got lucky - I got the chance to learn and rebuild. I pushed myself to think bigger and do better instead of wallowing in fear and sadness. I worked on projects I believed in. My friends and fam held me in love and kindness when I was unable to give myself grace. Plus I met so many wonderful people who showed me that anything - really anything - is possible if you chase down your dreams. Thanx for the good, the bad, the sad and the rad times 2024 and here’s to living and loving better in 2025! 💝🎉
9 cities | 7 months | 6 episodes | 1 series
Heckler Singapore embarked on a long-form storytelling adventure with Bloomberg for Momentum with @haslindatv and we are stoked to report that the series is now LIVE❗Together with the team from @bloombergoriginals , the Heckler Singapore team, spearheaded by Producer Jasmine Tay and Director June Cheong, handled everything from full production and post through to delivery ✨ A series of stories set in Asia, that take you on a journey to the frontiers of innovation, uncovering groundbreaking ideas and inspiring people shaping our future ⚡️
Massive props to the full team involved 👏🎉
🔗 Check out the trailer: /originals/series/momentum
#longform #production #documentary #storytelling #hecklersingapore #pictureanything
I’ve so many things to say about this photo.
One, isn’t my head glorious?
Two, why do people in old photos always look like they have never seen a camera before?
Three, why is this photo even cherished in a book, kept safe from the ravages of time and humidity behind a solid sheath of plastic???
I’m just going to call it: This photo is an utter failure.
I don’t know what my Porpor was thinking she could see in the viewfinder when she clicked the shutter. I loled when I found this in her collection of precious photos. Porpor helpfully pointed out that my parents asked her to take a picture and so she did. Hmmm I’m reminded of the importance of a clear and detailed brief.
Anyway the point is the picture is a frigging failure! But that didn’t stop it from being lovingly preserved. What matters is everyone tried - my grandma, my parents, my jie, even little old me.
I look at this picture and think of all the times Porpor has flicked through the album and rested her wizened thumb on the well-worn plastic. And that makes me happy-sad and realise that most fails in life don’t really matter. (Unless you are an air traffic controller, a nurse or a doctor. In which case, get off your phone and back to work!). What matters is what comes next.
Tbh 2024 has been a tough year of failing. And we are not even halfway through. I hope I look back on this year and see the failures not as stinging rebukes but as gentle lessons from the universe which reshaped me to become better, stronger, kinder. Here’s to trying! 💖
