From fan fiction to best-seller?

Hiya guys!

Would you believe it’s AUGUST already? OMGS. Time passes so quickly when you’re procrastinating. LOL.

Oh and you might have heard the news: Fifty Shades of Grey – a book that was born from an erotic fan fiction of the (gasp!) Twilight universe spun by Stephanie Meyers – had outsold all SEVEN of J. K. Rowling’s HARRY POTTER books on Amazon. E. L. James, the author, had effectively cornered the market on “mummy porn” because it contained various exciting scenes of S&M sex between a drop-dead gorgeous rich guy & a impossibly-naive girl.

Now I’ve personally contributed to the author’s obscene million earnings by buying E. L. James’ “steamy” book on Kobo, but far from being intrigued like the “Porn Mummies”, I stop reading Book 1 halfway coz it reminded me too much of Bella and Edward.  You might want to read the reviews on this book, if you don’t understand why there is so much fuss over it. I’m not going to bash it here, coz enough of it had been done around the web. My point to bringing this title is to show you that even a fan fiction can turn out to be a hit with your audience. E. L. James originally wrote it as a fan fiction, but due to its overly erotic content, she re-posted it on her website at FiftyShades.Com and later re-wrote it as an original piece.

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The world is bigger than you think

So you might have been writing fan fiction so far and even gotten a lot of positive reviews for it, but have you ever considered moving on from building on other people’s worlds to building one of your own? Sounds daunting, huh? Considering Tolkien not only built Middle Earth from the ground up, he also created the elvish language for it. Heh. Well, you’re not alone. I’m no expert myself and I do struggle with trying to make up a world that will fit my story. In fact, I worry that I may have too few details to lure my readers and I believe that’s a common problem that besets us writers. But build it slowly, no one said you had to build it in an instant. Do your research. Google is an excellent tool to have. Speak to people of various races, inclinations, religious beliefs, gender, hobbies, occupation etc. You’ll be surprised just what are the kind of people you will meet and who will inspire your work.

Why, just the other day, I met a retired doctor who told me all about the joys of watching Harness Racing in Australia. And I’ve never even heard of that sport before I met him. Richard Castle from the ABC dramedy “Castle” even follows a police detective around so he can base his latest book on her! Mukul Deva, a best-selling author from India, also does his research by speaking to people who have the necessary knowledge to further his plot. So really, there is so much to be explored out there in the world out there.

So leave the comfort zone of your fan fiction and write something that truly belongs to you, and not someone else.

PS: Before I forget, I want you guys to read this interview by Bestseller Labs on Lorna Suzuki. She’s the author of IMAGO CHRONICLES, which is also optioned for movie production! Impressive, ne?

Just a finger will do

Most women go gaga over the prospect of a big sexy diamond on their finger. Not this lady. 😡

Instead of a ring, she gets her finger bitten off by her husband instead. Not the whole finger, but the first joint. And the next joint by a certain anniversary, then last not least, the entire finger on the 20th anniversary. I think.

The husband? Oh not to worry, he gets his finger bitten off the same way too.

I don’t know about you, but I will really prefer a ring. 😡

Puzzles, Beauties & Horses part 2

Singapore International Racing Festival 2012

*Please forgive the blurry pictures below. I took them using my phone and due to the scary crowds, I was often forced to hop around the edges or climb to some higher spot to take pictures. The result: blurry pictures that suffered from too much zoom-in action.*

Okie, the Singapore International Racing Festival (SIRF) is an annual festival, organised by Singapore Turf Club (STC), that culminates in two prestigious races – SIA Cup & KrisFlyer International Sprint. But before the big day on 20th May,  there is a month-long flurry of activities that aim to bring all the excitement of horse racing to the public. So you will get to enjoy the sight of beautiful Turf Belles (girls who were chosen for their beauty, wit and keen interest in horse racing), equine exhibition and even a horseshoe pitching competition!

Turf Belle 2012

Ok, this is essentially STC’s search for its ambassador of the year. An island-wide search saw an overwhelming response from young ladies but they were eventually narrowed down to 11 beautiful young ladies.

These Turf Belles, who would appear at all SIRF events, were dressed in a designer impression of the jockey skills that belonged to the past 11 SIA Cup winners.

I couldn’t get near enough to get a good shot of them but here is a nice poster featuring all 11 of them:

One of them used to be Miss Popularity and Miss Vivacious for The New Paper New Face in 2009…can you guess which one? XD

Here is another picture that I captured with my phone at the NEX Event Plaza on 13th May. That was the day they had their last chance to impress the judges and public voters with their beauty, poise, intelligence and public engagement via a fashion catwalk and Q&A segment!

Turf Belles at Nex…no, that isn’t a real horse. =x

The top winner for Turf Belle 2012 eventually turned out to be Avena Seow, a Christy Chung lookalike. She doesn’t look like it but she really has quite a passion for comedy. Avena even told me that she hopes to be on Noose one day. =D

Well, Avena…if you ever read this post…I wish you all the best.

Avena was also Miss Popularity and Miss Vivacious in The New Paper New Face in 2009! Not a big surprise since she has a pretty bubbly personality…she’s also quite the family girl. =D

Roadshows

The roadshows had an equine exhibition that introduces you to the world of jockeys and their racehorses. There was also a horseshoe painting contest that not only allows you to be creative, but do your part for your charity too! The registration fee of $5 would go to Club Rainbow. =D

Jockeys tend to wear colours that have been “registered” by the owner or trainer who employed them AND they have to be brightly coloured so spectators can differentiate them during the race. =D
As you can see…the Turf Belles are popular everywhere they go. Here they are painting their horseshoes. XD
You paint, you donate and you could even win cash moolah!
The painted horseshoes so far

STC also invited a couple of celebrities to their roadshows. Rebecca Lim graced the one at Tampines 1 on 6th May while Lin Pei Fen hosted the Turf Belle segment at NEX on 13th May.

Lin Pei Fen, 933 FM DJ…she is quite pretty in person!

Horseshoe Pitching Competition

Now this is my most favourite part of the SIRF: Horseshoe Pitching! I even went to try a couple of rounds, but unfortunately I didn’t qualify. =x

Yes, yes. I know my aim is atrocious. T.T

Then again, this game requires a LOT of practice. I met the soon-to-be-champion, Mr Tommy Ho, who told me he created this mock-up of a stake at home and practised using his memento horseshoe he had gotten from a previous competition. I tell you…he is really damn good. Even the emcee constantly put him up as a good example of a horseshoe pitcher.

Horseshoe Pitching Champion 2012! He defeated last year’s champion lei. Don’t pray pray!
This is how you stand in order to pitch a ringer – which is a horseshoe encircling the stake stuck in a sandpit a short distance away. You can still score even if your horseshoe lands within 6 inches of the stake.
Making great pitches can win you moolah! Again, don’t pray pray!

Basically anyone who is over the age of 18, regardless of gender, nationality and religion, can participate. You don’t even need to buy anything. Very cool, right? That’s why you see really damn long queues at the first two roadshows where the finalists were being qualified.

They should make this sport a CCA in schools or something. Quite fun to watch and play too!

SIA CUP & KrisFlyer International Sprint

Now, I’m no horse punter but I’ve gotta admit that the atmosphere at the STC is quite something. Every time the horses are released from the barriers, the crowd went ballistic. Screams, shouts and fists pumping in excitement filled the air around me. The races were over in a couple of minutes but damn…the atmosphere was so infectious that it encouraged me to make a couple of bets too. LOL.

Unfortunately during the SIA Cup, one of the horses I bet on REFUSED to enter its gate and even threw its rider down a couple of times. =x

Wah…I bet the trainer/jockey must be quite sad to miss the chance to enter this international race. Even horses were flown down to participate lei. Such a good life. =x

Parade ring for the competing horses at STC
Prize giving ceremony for the SIA Cup. Our President was there to grace the event too!

You guys should probably go visit the STC at least once to see what it’s like. I know…it doesn’t exactly look like a glamorous place to be due to all the uncles and aunties but STC do organise events where you can dress up prettily like the recent Queen Elizabeth II Cup. They had this Marquee Party where people could party and watch the races at the same time. =D

AND! If you want something different for your wedding banquet hoh…you can also consider having it at the STC. XD

No one will be bored since they will be horse betting. Hehe…just don’t bet your angbao money away, ok? =x

Puzzles, Beauties & Horses part 1

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been almost four months since my last post. =x Well, good thing I have a couple of events to share with you. Hehe…and I shall divide them into TWO posts. Muahahaha!

Escape from WEREWOLVES!

First up: the Real Escape Game that has been taking Singapore by storm! I first knew of this game from Sarahcoldheart of the Seriously Sarah fame. She and our fellow Tweet pals had participated in “Escape from the Mysterious Cathedral“, which took place at CHIJMS in January. As one who is kinda into casual games of puzzle, I was intrigued so I decided to pull my bf along to the next instalment to see what it was like.

The concept was simple:

You lost your way and wandered into a village where werewolves attack people night by night. As the villagers disappear one by one, you can feel the fangs of the werewolves getting closer and closer to you.

Can you reveal all the mysteries in time, and escape the Werewolf Village?

Sounds exciting, right? Well, I was pretty excited about the game. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, but that didn’t mar my anticipation. =D

On the day of the game itself, I met Hanyang – the friendly representative from Gatecrash I had worked with during my CXC event – and he told me that the event was so popular that the session I was going to attend was sold out! o_O

Anyway, he was concerned that I had arrived with just my bf since a typical group is made up of 6 people. But I assured him that my Twitter pals would soon arrive and we would definitely make up a full group or two. XD

The Twitter Pals!

Okay, to be frank…I was completely clueless throughout the game. We were marooned in the *Scape warehouse and no one could leave the area until 1 hour later. I tried my best to solve the complicated puzzles, but I think my bf was better at this kind of thing than I am. =x

Along with the other male member of our group, they solved half the given puzzles while I fumbled around uselessly and trying to help. =x

I think the answers to the puzzles would have eventually occurred to me, but sad to say…the countdown and intense atmosphere in the warehouse shut my brain down. =x

I think in the event of a zombie attack…which somehow needs a puzzle to be solved in order to end the apocalypse, I will not be the brains. Let me hold the gun instead. =x

Wait…I can’t even aim properly. =x

*NYUUUUUUUUU!*


T.T

Follow that luggage~!

I came across this really interesting video by Delta Airlines that follows your luggage from check-in to check-out.

So if you’ve always wondered what happens to your luggage after it goes behind the rubber flaps, this is it. =D

Oh & if you’re someone who aspires to be a published writer, here is a site where you can share your writings, participate in events and stand a chance to win small prizes for your literary efforts! =)

It’s called the Budding Writers League and is apparently set up by 2 good friends who want to see local writing finds its well-deserved spot in the world. So go check it out!

In retrospection of 2011

My first post for 2012~! Happy New Year everyone! May this be an even better year than the last, although it has supposedly been foretold that this will be the year of The Big Doom and Recession. But hey, the future is not set in stone and we can still make it better than ever, right? =)

Had been pretty busy after the Comics Xchange event I had co-organised with the Association of Comic Artists Singapore and Story Kitchen. It didn’t go as well as I had hoped but all is not lost! Made plenty of friends at the event and came away with valuable lessons on how to organise an event such as this. =)

You might have read a few negative comments on my event, but I guess it comes with the territory and it certainly opened my eyes in a lot of ways.

My friends were supportive though. One even turned up in full cosplay gear! Even though she was about the only person who was an active photog opportunity. The rest were nowhere in sight and I even had a couple of young boys knocking on my seminar door, asking if there were cosplayers in my room! LOL.

There were other little blessings as well…like the food for instance. We ordered Bibik Catering for our various meals and wow! Damn delicious, especially the Bee Hoon Goreng. My sponsors & speakers were great people who rose to the occasion splendidly and the members of my seminar, too, were rather enthusiastic in their participation. While the crowd at the event was admittedly small, people mingled well and made a few new friends.

Everyone looks happy & that's what counts the most! Otto Fong was one of our speakers.

I wouldn’t say that my event was a complete failure coz at least some people turned up. LOL. I don’t regret organising it. Yes, there were some inevitable unhappiness arising from the fact that the turnout was unexpectedly small but I’m proud to say that I’ve managed to do something I’ve always wanted to do since I set up AMWC. On to the next adventure in 2012 then~! =)

In retrospection, this year has been a milestone year in more ways than one. I ventured into a new field of writing for Lookbox (a local interior design magazine) and Point (a magazine targeted at Asia’s CEOs and high ranking personnel), visited Taiwan for the first time (read my travel blog for the highlights!) and dipped my toes in the world of trainers & speakers thanks to Karen Leong (she’s a speaker on the topics like how to network in winsome way, how to win people over at work etc).

All in all, a rather fruitful year. =D

Oh and it seems that a few of my friends have gotten married before 2011 ended. Congratulations, gals! May Lady Happiness always smile on your marriage!

PS: Before I forget, I wish to thank Jerry Hinds (the President of Association of Comic Artists) for his generous support of the event. Without his help, I doubt I could actually bring the event to fruition! Hehe…that’s why it’s so important to have a good wingman by your side!

Oh My God

This movie review is made possible by omy.sg.

Immortals is a blockbuster wanna-be movie that revolves around Theseus, a Young Warrior who picked up The Weapon so he can Kill The Bad Guy who had killed his mother. The Gods and Goddess of Olympus are young nubile hot-headed immortals who watch helplessly from their pedestals way up high and wring their hands as their “beloved people” get slaughtered by this very angry warlord who was angry mainly because the Gods ignored his pleas for his very sick family a long time ago.

The Gods and Goddess (only Athena bothered to make an appearance), you see, were forbidden by Zeus, the Father of all Gods & Goddesses to intervene in mortal affairs as GODS lest they risk his wrath and DEATH as punishment.

And that about sums up the entire movie. =x

Funnily, Zeus left a loophole for himself by saying “intervening as GODS” but the other pretty but apparently empty-headed Gods & Goddess (I refuse to call her Athena coz she is in no way a strong and formidable Goddess who actually stood up to her own Father in Greek myths) didn’t see the loophole and happily appeared in the Godly forms to help Theseus and his complimentary buddy.

No prizes for guessing what happens next. =.=

The movie boasts of numerous special effects and manly men who bang their shields in manly valour but none of those can save this terrible movie from its slow death. If you know your Greek myths, you will agar agar know that Theseus was the hero who felled Minotaur and Titans are…well…TITIANS (BIG BAD GIANTS who are the age -old enemies of Zeus and his cohort). But no, these legendary figures and stories were twisted into unrecognizable chunks in this movie. All it can ever boast of are pretty faces who do the Gods they portray NO JUSTICE AT ALL.

Yes, OMG indeed.