white space, white noise

Because I Look Like an Artist
Photoshop 7
(Click to expand)

The appreciation of art is most certainly a subjective process, but I believe there are certain basic visual and/or conceptual qualities which must be present before something can be deemed as a piece of art - or with reference to the matter at hand, deemed as a piece of art worth showcasing to the world wide web. I for one think that these qualities are severely lacking in many of the pieces in Noise Singapore's online showcase. If you don't get what I mean and want a comparison, just go look at what the rest of the world is doing.

This piece is about the image of the artist in society's collective eye, what happens when people use stereotypes to claim value in art when their work clearly shows lack of any talent, originality and even more so shame? It is a reaction against bad design, arrogant misers, scenester wanna-bes and people who think they own the world.

Sculpture Carnival
(Click to expand)

zomg bad photos alert! No seriously, that's why they're so tiny. I have no idea why I took up the job, probably just as a favour for a friend, I pretty much suck at photography, have a bad camera, am terrible with children and people in general, and the results show. Thank God I'm not getting paid for this.

And happy birthday to me, whatever.

Kill or be Killed
Photoshop 7
(Click to expand)

At the end of the day, all we are meant to be are killing machines. Afterall, the universal rule from the infantryman to the tanker to the pilot is to kill or be killed, but can you when you're called to do it? Does killing in defense make the act easier? What are we defending anyway?

I'm sure producers of Singapore Idol must be happy and proud of the abomination they've created. What a joke, and boy, what a piece of shit. Seriously, I cringe at every single comment the judging panel hands out, not that I wanted to watch the darn show, but it happened to be on during dinner time. I don't understand why such a thing even exists into a second season, and even more so why it's still so bloody popular. Same goes for trashy productions like Project Superband, Superstar and Campuskidwannabeswithnodirectioninlifestarsitsallthesamecrapx82732. This culture, damn I hate it. Good thing I don't have much time to watch TV these days.

Anyways it's back to the air force tomorrow, then it's close to a month in limbo waiting for the V200 course to start, doing nothing unless they've got saikang (literal: shit work) for us.

Went out for dinner and some drinks with a bunch of my BMT mates last night, it was all good just to see them again, remembering life then and talking about life now. I felt at ease, no insecurities, no charade, no prejudice, no pretension. These are the guys, no, brothers whom I went through all kinds of shit and trouble with, and one could sense a real camaraderie among us. People whom I can respect and relate to, even though we're now spread all over the land doing different things. Pity only a fifth of the platoon was there, but that was enough to make me believe that some of these would be friends that I'd keep for a long time to come.

Supply Chain, Part 2
Photoshop 7
(Click to expand)

You're sold to it, but so is he, her, and everybody else. You'd fight to get your slice; but competition is just a word; we're all after the same things which we can't and won't share, and in the end, everyone simply loses.

So I'm back and staying-out-of-camp after having passed my driving test (imagine inclusion of random euphoric statements here for those who prefer it). This means that I'm now no longer an L-plate driver and officially hold a Class-3/4 military driving license - disregard the fact that I haven't yet been issued it. It's a scam though, we - those who took the test on the second date - didn't get a day off like those who passed the previous day, and we probably will never get it in-lieu since the course ends next week and there's still a shitload of things to be taught and learnt. It doesn't end there, but I'm not quite in the mood o get started on the incredible inefficiency and irresponsibility we encounter everyday, and not just with the army but also from the civilian contractor, from instructors, assessors and managers, to orderlies, testers and specialists; everything. Man I gotta lay off on that teenage angst, especially when I'm turning nineteen in a couple of weeks.

Anyways, that was mostly yesterday, I'm currently undergoing my island-wide confidence driving training which basically involves driving very (by Singapore standards) long distances for very long periods of time. By right I shouldn't have to go back tomorrow to do the same thing again (on the tonner since all I drove today was the rover) and I'll get my off like half of the other "passers" have already gotten, but due to some crazy planning which completely confounds me, I have to, and I'll once again accredit that to their overwhelming inefficiency. Well it's not like I have anything better to do in that half of the day anyway, so whatever, everyday that passes is one day closer to the end of NS.

Supply Chain, Part 1
Photoshop 7
(Click to expand)

It's like shopping at a supermarket. Do you want it or need it? If it's not this one, it's the other, but they're all the same so you're sold to it regardless. Buying, selling, bigger, more, wealthier, healthier, happier. Are you happy with your role in this supply chain?

Dutybound Citizen Soldier
Photoshop 7
(Click to expand)

It was so hard to imagine what it'd be like before we went in.

But now that we're in, it's hard even to remember what life used to be like.