A Long Way From Home - MEGA Man Editorial

So I just got my hands on the final editorial spread for MEGA Man magazine (Philippines) featuring my photographer friend and resident photographer/judge on Asia's Next Top Model Cycle 1 Todd Anthony Tyler. Before he became a photographer he was actually a model for several years which I think has definitely influenced his work and shooting style. It was so fun to get to work w/ Todd on a shoot as it had been such a long time...although this one was slightly different as he was the model and not the photographer lol!

It was a little chaotic to get this whole thing even planned and executed as we had to get it done during Todd's last visit to Canada in Sept. which also happened to coincide w/ TIFF and NYCFW...yeah...not the easiest time to do an editorial or source wardrobe let me tell you!  But it all came together in the end and I think it looks amazing and Todd totally captured that rugged, Canadian outdoors look we were going for...very different from the Philippines obviously...which was also another reason Todd wanted to shoot this in Canada.

Once Todd explained the concept to me and everything he was looking for I knew I had the perfect photographer for him.  I'm so glad Zach Hertzman (who I've worked w/ on a number of occasions) was able to shoot this story b/c his style was exactly what Todd was going for and he's so great on-location and w/ natural light!

The location for the shoot was actually Todd's sisters farm and land (and we also did a mini detour to a horse farm at the end of the shoot)...what's funny is Todd was location scouting and asking his family before the shoot for ideas and no one thought to suggest the farm (which he had never seen prior) b/c they thought it was too run down or "not pretty" enough...it's funny how ppl not in fashion don't always understand how we actually WANT those run down, dirty locations b/c they have character lol!

As far as my part in this whole editorial is concerned...I'm not going to lie...it was pretty easy.  It's male grooming and Todd has great skin so just cleaned it up a bit (covered some of those under eye circles) and styled the hair.  The thing w/ a shoot like this is to not make him too "clean" or "pretty".  I wanted him to look a bit rugged and dirty so I actually went to my friends at Blur Makeup Room  and picked up some Reel Dirt to work on to his hands and face to give him that slightly dirty, rugged look.

So here's the editorial!  I've also slipped in a couple behind the scenes shots from the day!  I actually have a bunch of pics that didn't make it into the editorial...there are so many great pics from this shoot!

His sister has mini horses...how cute are they!  Btw I know you can't tell but it was COLD outside...esp. considering it was the middle of Sept!!!

Zach doing his thing...Todd doing his

Me literally "getting my hands dirty" w/ the Reel Dirt

Life Updated - Singapore, Malaysia and Now Back To Reality!

Yes...Yes, I know it's been a mth since I last blogged.  Not exactly a great start to the year so far on the blogging front I will admit but you know I just can't seem to make myself blog while backpacking through Asia...probably b/c I would have to do it from my phone and well that's just a pain in the butt lol!

So I'm back from another world adventure...a little wiser, a little older...hopefully a little more interesting.  This time I was off to Singapore and Malaysia to reconnect w/ my travel buddy Ole from my India tour.  You may remember he's backing packing for a year around the world.  So interesting b/c I met him at the VERY beginning of his adventure and now meeting him 100 days in I can see the change...so relaxed, no schedule, no stress...travel suits him well.  Although I'm not going to lie..being that I had only 2 wk (and not a yr) I would have liked if he'd maybe planned one or two things instead of leaving it totally up to chance lol!

So after a long (but actually pretty stress free) journey over to the other side of the world I arrived in Singapore at 1:30 am...there I met Ole at the airport who also arrived on a late night flight.  We headed to our hostel which was definitely "no frills" but it's Singapore and it's expensive so you know I wanted to keep things on the "cheaper" side there...this was actually the only place we had booked beforehand...probably b/c I took care of it...and I'm a planner lol.

Singapore is very different from the rest of South East Asia.  It's clean and modern and expensive...all the signs are in English...almost feels like you're not in Asia anymore.  Therefore we only planned to spend 2.5 days there!

Our first day found us just exploring the waterfront and China town.  But that night we got to meet up w/ my photographer friend Todd Anthony Tyler (resident judge on Asia's Next Top Model) and his wife.  So crazy that our trips in Singapore overlapped by 1 day and we were able to meet up for a drink before he headed back to Shanghai!  Can't believe I've been back here in Canada almost 4 yrs now...man time flies!  For Ole and I it was a real back packer treat to meet up w/ Todd b/c we got to go hang out in the Executive Lounge of the Swissotel where he was staying and get unlimited free drinks and food...yeah nice start to my trip to say the least lol!

Getting our Free drink on at the Swissotel

Next day we hit up Sentosa island...visited a huge ass aquarium and had a great time at Universal Studios...I esp. enjoyed the Transformers 3-D indoor ride...we did that one twice!

My camera doesn't do these creatures justice

Before Transformers 3-D ride...I hated the movie...loved the ride - go figure lol!

Day after we hit up the Singapore Zoo...and unfortunately our zoo trip was a little condensed after we unfortunately were delayed by an hr b/c of a broken down bus!  After the zoo a quick trip back to the hostel to grab our bags and then off to the airport and Malaysia!

I have a perverse love for taking pictures of animals trying to have sex lol!

This animal was just lying there...look how close I got to be w/ him!  Not going to lie though was a bit frightened he had some big claws lol!

One thing all the travel books will tell you...and I will tell you now from experience is that Malaysia is known for food...lots and lots of street food!  It's yummy, it's cheap and it's greasy...so great for back packing...not great for waistline lol!

Ever chance I got I drank a coconut!

First stop in Malaysia was of course the biggest city Kuala Lumpur aka KL...we only stayed there for two nights which was cool w/ me b/c I have to be honest I was over the city life at that point...I wanted some adventure!

Twin Towers in KL that we never actually got to go up b/c the viewings were sold out for the day :(

The plan after KL was to hit up the Perhentian Islands for some much need Sun, Sand and Relaxation...the reality unfortunately was much different then that :(  Upon arriving in Kota Bhure (the port town near the islands) we were in for an awakening..in the form of piss pouring rain...that pretty much never stopped...the whole time we were there...

It was so bad at first we were told we couldn't even get a ferry b/c the waters were too rough!  I'm not going to lie..I got a little stressed out...and may have consumed an abnormal amount of Peanut M&M's to calm my stress lol.  You see Ole may have a year to do what he pleases but I only had 2 wks so of course I want EVERY minute of it packed w/ fun, adventure and good times!  After about an hr of sitting in a the travel agency office we were told we were in luck there would be 1 ferry that day - Yeah!

I don't think if we knew what that ferry ride would have been like if we'd been as excited lol!  I'm not going to lie...I thought we were for sure going to tip or sink or something at some point during this 1+ hr ferry ride. I don't know what was better - me sitting inside dry but w/out a life jacket (as there weren't enough to go around) or Ole sitting outside getting soaked but w/ a life jacket.  The whole time in my crazy mind I was planning my escape route and how I would swim to shore when this boat was overtaken by a wave (which I felt was imminent)...After getting the chance to go in the water and play in the waves off the shore the following day I now realize this was very naive of me as I most surely would have drowned had this boat actually tipped...so thankfully it didn't lol.

So life on the island was not the paradise I would have hoped for...It pretty much rained NON STOP for 2 days straight.  There was a few hrs of dryness the first day and we enjoyed going for a walk around the island and playing in the water.  Most of our time though was spent in Ewan's cafe on the resort.  Very friendly staff, yummy food, cheap prices and wifi so I guess it wasn't a AWFUL.  But I'm not going to lie it wasn't great lol...this was an alcohol free island...there are only two things you want to do on an island when it's pouring rain - drink and have sex...I was partaking in neither activity...

The day came to leave the island and I was just hoping we'd be able to!  Thankfully the waves weren't bad so we actually took a speed boat back to the mainland...again a wet and windy journey to say the least...but we did both get life jackets this time lol...and it was MUCH quicker than the ferry!

During the boat ride off the island...YEAH we're leaving!

Yeah I have a life jacket this time!

Yeah for waterproof mascara ;)

After the island we wanted to do Cameron Highlands but unfortunately monsoon season was holding out longer than normal this year and the weather was not looking great there either...I don't think I could take another Perhentian debacle so we decided just to spend the rest of our trip on the West coast of Malaysia in Penang.

Penang was broken up into two sections:

Georgetown...where we enjoyed some much needed nightlife and alcohol after our "dry" time on the island...only thing that was dry on the island I  might add.  Met some interesting locals during late night walks back to the hotel, had great times at Monkey Bar and even met a crazy, old Australian who showed us a really good night at Slippery Senoritas - booth, bottle service...the works!  Plus we even made time during the day to visit the Butterfly Farm and Penang Hill...and of course visit the street hawkers for more food!

Looking like high rollers w/ our piles of money...only maybe $100 Canadian lol!

After the island I needed a drink so bad I got TWO!  Happy Hour Special ;)

Night Club Adventures

Blue Steel

Not going to lie I was not expecting, nor dressed for a night club event...I felt really gross and sweaty lol!

Penang Hill...Gorgeous Views

 Butterfly Farm

That "leaf" is a butterfly!

The butterflies LOVED Ole...I couldn't get them to land on me no matter how much I tried :(  He HATES this pic...exactly why I'm posting it ;)

Batu Ferringhi...where I ended my journey and spent the last few days getting that much needed sun and relaxation that I wanted so bad. Unfortunately, I think I tried to get a little too much sun a little too quick...my Canadian skin is definitely a lot more sensitive then it was in my youth and instead of achieving a nice golden brown I quickly became a painful lobster red :(

Giant Coconut!

By the pool..before the burn :(

This does not even begin to capture the level of red my skin was...I tried taking this of my back myself in the bathroom lol.  Love how the bikini top strings are even burned into my skin :( lol

Final Night Drink!  Thankfully my face didn't burn as I wear so many cosmetics that have SPF in them...see makeup is good for you ;)

And that is where the trip ends...a very different goodbye than last time...Ole continues on his journey currently in Cameron Highlands (jealous) and then off to Cambodia and Vietnam...even more jealous.

I'm not going to lie...it was definitely not the trip I was expecting or hoping for.  It wasn't India...but nothing ever will be...and it's somewhat sad to try and recapture a moment in time b/c you can't.  It's better just to leave it there and remember it fondly for what it was.  So if nothing else I walk away w/ another life lesson learned.

It was it's own journey...and there are some good memories and times w/ it as well so like many things in life it's better to just appreciate it on it's own terms then try to make it into something it's not.

And now back to reality...MANY updates to come!

Seizing the Moment - Another Trip, Another Adventure!

So one of my New Years Resolutions was to LIVE more in the MOMENT and to continue to travel more and that's exactly what I've decided to do!  I'm getting an early start on this resolution and crazy as it is I've actually booked myself another trip!  And the crazy thing is I didn't think this one through for 6 mths hemming and hawing about the perfect time to go and what about missing work lol!  This time I'm heading over to Singapore and Malaysia for just over 2 wks - Feb 18-Mar 6!

What spurred this one you ask!  Well I had such an amazing and inspiring time in India I still had the travel bug inside me when I came back...thankfully that was the only bug I got in India ;)  Plus some of the friends I met over in India are still traveling for the next several mths and since I'd rather travel w/ someone else I thought this might be a good opportunity to pick up where I left off before and go traveling again! Work doesn't really really pick up again until March so Feb is the last chance I have to go on any sort of long term trip w/out missing a huge amount of work until Nov. - so I seized the moment!

Why Singapore some ppl asked?  Well shockingly enough even though it's one of the more expensive Asian countries to travel within it's actually one of the cheapest to fly to (at least from my research).  I got a round trip flight to Singapore for just under $1200...that's pretty darn good to me and like $500 or so less than my flight to India (not including the extra fee I paid to switch my flight to a later date)!  Plus my layovers going there and going home are so short...like 1 hr at each layover...I do have 2 switches but still I figure it just gives me a chance to move my legs and walk around a bit at least!

I'll probably only stay in Singapore for a few days as it's a small country and as I  mentioned before on the more expensive side!  Then I'll head on over to Malaysia and travel around there!  One of the most insane things about the whole thing is you can catch a flight from Singapore to Malaysia for under $30 w/ tax!!!! How is that even possible!?!?!?!  I can't even take a train within my own country to my home city for under $50!

Again w/ living in the moment I'll be honest I've barely planned a thing lol!  So unlike me!  All I've booked so far is my hostel for 3 nights in Singapore...I found a good one, that's central and reasonably priced so I thought that might be an important thing to book ahead.  Esp. since my flight arrives at 1:30 am!

Another cool coincidence is my photographer friend from Shanghai Todd Anthony Tyler might happen to be in Singapore right during when I arrive...would be super cool to meet up w/ him for lunch or dinner in another country!

Yeah...starting to get excited and can't wait!  This time I'll try to actually blog a bit during my trip!

Gail

Back in late Summer/early Fall I got a visit from my long time photographer friend Todd Anthony Tyler.  It was great to see him again esp. since he had just wrapped filming the first season of Asia's Next Top Model where he is head photographer and judge for the competition!  He was here visiting some family and came to the city one day to do a very casual shoot.

The shoot was very basic and simple...in fact it was shot on my back deck, in my patio doorway and even on my roof!  The whole concept was just Asian beauty.  The idea is that Todd might at some point put together a book w/ a collection of his work showcasing all different types of Asian beauty since there are so many and it's such a diverse concept across the continent of Asia.

We were lucky enough to get two models that day and here are the pics from the shoot w/ Gail from Spot 6.  Very simple and clean except for a very dark lip.  One of the pics was even featured in an article Todd had published in an Asian photography magazine :)

Photographers just LOVE their B&W ;)

For a new model Gail is really great at connecting w/ the camera!