Melbourne: A City For The Arts

"At the end of this rainbow, I found love. Love for arts."

Overlooking the city after a downpour - 47th floor of Sofitel Melbourne.

I arrived at my destination within 8 hours of flight - 4000 miles east (to be precise: south-east) of KL.

Melbourne, well known for its high population of asians; made me feel at home right away. One thing was missing though - heat. Extreme weather conditions that fluctuated to as low as 7 degrees centigrade (considering that its supposed to be spring) wasn't so favourable to the boy from the tropics.

Dwelling in Southbanks for the past 2 weeks was a bliss as it was a 10 minute convenient walk to the city centre. Eye-opening, I found random art pieces aplenty fixed onto the ground with probably no particular purpose - except aesthetics.

Check these out.

Random pillars. The closer one looks Singaporean. Probably planted there by one.

The infamous flaming pillars along Crown's Casino. Yes, it combust mammoth flames towards the sky.

Cool looking walkway dividers along Yarra River.

If placed in KL, it'd serve as a rollerblading ramp.

Floor graffiti - I dropped a 10 dollar note and it really disappeared.

Horrifying statues placed next to the pedestrian traffic lights. If I was Australian, I'd start a riot to get those removed. Total waste of tax payers money.

Taking a break after a whole-lotta walking. Thats a 'Backyard Burger'. Got the name from a nationwide name-it burger contest.

A wall to systematically place event posters. Its supposed to keep the public walls clean.

In contradiction, I was told these walls were specifically meant to be sprayed on with graffitti.

These too. (I'm starting to think how much of it is true)

My favourite picture in an art gallery visit. Check out the description below.

Quite cool isn't it.

Me with the legendary pixar ball - after visiting the pixar exhibition. The technology which lead to the production of the revolutionary animated movie, Ratatouille.

Reserved

That's right.

I'm flying off for a well-deserved (I'd like to think so) holiday tonight.

This break would be considered the first in quite a while. With next year's planning in progress, I've decided that it'd be the perfect time to clear my mind, by taking time away from the city buzz to seek inspiration elsewhere. I'll be heading thousands of miles East (guess where) to meet super-lovable people and will be back in town early October.

Just to stay connected, I'll be lugging my laptop across the continent. I'm sure I'll find more time to blog update then. Stay tune!

Cheers.

The Firm Part 1: Deja Vu

Question: Are you going to give more insights of The Firm?
Answer: I'm not too sure. Should I?

The Firm has been a significant part of my life for the past 6 months. I've made a handful of good friends; I've probably offended a few as well. No hard feelings though; I've come to terms with the fact that it's all part and parcel of life.

While I was driving along Jalan Tun Razak late this evening, my eyes caught a glimpse of a very familiar image from a distance. As I got closer, I noticed the above image on a giant billboard, and my first immediate sentiment was:

"Hey! I've got WINGS."

It was an euphoric moment for me as my mind flashed back to the very day I went for the first video interview during the preliminary stages of The Firm; all the way back in January. Like myself, there were many awaiting, and I still remember one of the hopefuls I met; he had just resigned from his job and seemed to be pretty demotivated, slurring the gist of why he left his previous job to me (in disgust, really). Fret not though, he's alright now. I met him during one of my meetings in Mindshare a few weeks back. He's a creative account manager there. He'll be there for, well, a while.

Few weeks after the interview (still hopeful) my chances of being accepted into The Firm seemed to be slipping away, until I received a phone call from Kim, Popiah Pictures.

The conversation which entailed went something like this.

"Hello, is this Joel?"

"Yes, that's me."

"You've been shortlisted as one of the final candidates for The Firm. Can you come in the following week for a briefing session?"

The rest was history. Beaming with joy, it dawned upon me what this meant: I've taken my first step to realize my dreams.

(to be continued)

MOTOSTORE - Malaysia's First

Motorola opened its first concept store, MOTOSTORE, right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur - Suria KLCC, to facilitate the learning process of integrating mobile technology into our current lifestyles. This launch, I believe, demonstrates Motorola's commitment to address the emerging needs of Malaysia's mobile consumers and builds on the company's already strong presence in the Malaysian market.

As a brand known for its endless breakthroughs in areas of telecommunication, Motorola sets the benchmark of service excellence and consumer friendliness. The evolution from your conventional mobile phone stalls to specialized concept stores is a signpost of sensitivity to consumer needs and provision of better customer service by the brand itself.

The launch of Malaysia's first MOTOSTORE. (L-R) Azizan Nin,Motorola Ambassador; Zulkifli Mat Jusoh, Head of Marketing, Motorola; Joel, Motorola Youth Ambassador; Eric Chong, Country Manager, Motorola; Calvin, Operator of MotoStore.

The store is more than just a showcase of Motorola's trendy phone models and accessories equipped with spearheading technology; a consumer-friendly facility, MotoStore offers personalized mobile services which enriches your multimedia experience, ranging from exclusive ring tone purchases and personal photo printing to model outlook customization which allows you to modify your mobile phone to your liking.

In light of all things new, the brand also added yet another phone model release to its name. Its latest whiz in such gadgetry - the sleek, sophisticated and edgy Motorola RAZR2 V8 - is no less an awe, especially to brand loyals such as myself. A centrepoint where razor sharp technology coincides with consumer's personalized choice and taste, this phone model is evidence that technology has taken a paradigm shift where networks and systems are embedded in one gadget, bringing us consumers cutting edge technology with style.

Dig in for more information about the RAZR2 V8 here.

With the emergence of the concept store and the RAZR2 V8, we, the consumers, are left with an intense anticipation of what innovation the brand will be surprising us with next.

(Updated) Press releases out in the media:

For additional read: click here

The Journey Continues

At 23, I've initiated a couple of decent ventures, established a non-governmental organization and signed up for Malaysia's first corporate reality show The Firm on NTV7 earlier this year.

My life's journey continued as a young entrepreneur in 2004, while I was still in my third year of university, and it has been my passion ever since to inspire more young Malaysians to take up this unconventional path.

I took up Mechanical Engineering not by accident. In fact, I love every bit of what I've studied.

During my earlier years, I found myself striding runway of fashion shows and being shot for established local media - by accident. I'd like to believe, then is when I gained confidence in doing what I'm doing today.

I've just been announced as the winner of The Firm - last Sunday to be precise, yet it has still not sunk into me.

Do check out the exclusive interview in The Star (27/08/07).

If all little I've said tickles your fancy, I'd be glad to have you as an audience. It'd be pleasant to hear from you on how you think we can inspire and empower others, especially the young ones.