SMASH! Sydney Anime and Manga Show. Had fun! So good to see so many people came in their favourite characters. You can definitely feel the love in the community.

Read more

I was in Japan mid-last year for about a month and loved every minute of it. The people were so friendly and polite, the food from anywhere (even from their 7/11 equivalents) was delicious, and their railway system is world-class—even in the rickety-older parts of town. I was so used to bowing to everyone that for about a week after landing back in Sydney, I kept bowing and kept having to stop myself mid-way.

What I love most about Japan is the greenery. For a civilisation that’s so advanced with technology, it’s so lovely to see an abundance of leaves and trees amongst the sky-high buildings. Many of the population, both young and old, ride around on bicycles too. None were the hipster fixie bikes, but just plain old push bikes. So cool. Japan just has this feel to it that makes me feel so at peace.

The video
All I wanted to make was some sort of montage of the trip with a backing track—that’s it. The only part I planned was the beginning where you’ll see my feet walking in different shots. Everything else more along the lines of shoot-anything-interesting-for-5-seconds, and hope it’ll be useful in the edit later. This had to be balanced with ‘seeing’ Japan with my own eyes too, as I didn’t want most of my trip with a camera in my face. So, what we usually did was just experience the place first, then re-walk the space and record things of interest.

The reason the video is called ‘Pocket’ Japan is because everything was shot with the available camera in my pocket: an iPhone 4S. A friend of mine was carrying a pro dSLR (with stabiliser) too, so there was no way my shitty phone footage could match that. So I went with the more humble, pocket-sized take on the trip.

Lady Gaga, David Guetta, and whatever retailers play in their boutique stores blasted through the night as we celebrated Philnom’s 28th in DIY-style. Our faux models and designers wrapped their paws around chicken drumsticks and scrumptious salt and pepper squid. The home-made ‘background banner’ brought out the luvo in all of us—everyone kept taking photos in front of it non-stop! Lastly, the night was topped with a black carpet walk-off judged by a wannabe elite panel of wannabe fashion judges. Fabulous selection of photos from the blurry night below.

Read more

In the last half of 2011, I took only black and white photos with Instagram. These are my favourites.


Read more

Such a nice town.

We were only here for 2 nights, but the weather was amazing. Streets bathed in bright sunlight and wrapped in a winter chill. There was no time to visit Pixar, Apple or Alcatraz, but it was a great bookend to the America trip.

(April, 2011)

New York is America to me.

Growing up it was hard to ignore this city as we were pampered with its imagery and tales through our favourite films, TV shows and the endless list of ‘New York’ brands.

Upon landing in the concrete jungle you immediately feel its culture, modern history and its status as a remarkable melting pot of nationalities. In the end though I was a tad disappointed for not indulging in more of the ‘New Yawker’ type things like: riding the subway, eating in a diner and getting a haircut in Queens. But one place we happily stumbled upon and has ignited my passion for frozen yoghurt was a delightful little hang out called Pink Berry.

One thought that’s constantly been on my mind since this leg of the trip is an obvious observation: the vibe and soul of a place can be heightened through lenses.

Read more

—

Photo by Phil.

Loved The Vegas.

Laying poolside with long islands in hand, delicious mini-burgers awaiting to be engulfed after hours of getting lost in clubs, and the fake-ness of the town that radiates an endearing charm—what’s not to like?

(April, 2011)