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Singapore Polytechnic Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Record Label, SPEAR @ The Coliseum, Resorts World Sentosa

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Last Friday, we had a rocking good time at the launch of Singapore Polytechnic‘s [SP] first ever record label, SPEAR, at The Coliseum, Resorts World Sentosa and truly, we were very impressed by the performances that were put up by the Students from SP’s Diploma in Music and Audio Technology [DMAT].

With the launch of SPEAR, this makes Singapore Polytechnic the first education institution to have such an initiative and in case you’re wondering why the record label is named, “SPEAR”, SPEAR is the acronym for Singapore Polytechnic Emerging Artiste and Repertoire. The SPEAR initiative also reflects a refreshed DMAT course that is more industry-centric and better able to marry the aspiration of students with the opportunities in the music industry.

When we were there, we were given the VIP treatment and and we managed to get upclose and personal with some of the Student Artistes whom were going to be performing. As a matter of fact, we managed to interview V’Bel [a.k.a Wong Ay Shyuan], a 20 year old up-and-coming Violinist, and Mr. Michael Spicer, who is DMAT’s Course Chairman.

Interview with V’Bel

A Short Video of the Interview that We Had with V’Bel

Posing for a Photo with Mr. Michael Spicer

A Short Video of the Interview that We Had with Mr. Michael Spencer

After the interview session, we headed straight for the concert to take some photographs and the following are some of the shots that Jacqueline took with the Olympus EPL-3. As we took more than 400+ photographs, it is nearly impossible to embed all of them on this blog entry and hence, we’re just going to feature some prominent ones. The full profile of these Student Artistes is available online at www.spear.com.sg and if you’re interested, do check it out!

The first performance was put up by Celestia [a.k.a Deborah Tan] & her band.

Celestia belongs to one of the first batch of Students to graduate from SP’s DMAT Course and she graduated with a Diploma with Merit. She has participated in many music competitions and won several awards as well. Her music genre mainly lies in eclectic pop and western folk music.

The Violinist in Celestia’s Band

One of The Guitarist in Celestia’s Band

The Keyboardist in Celestia’s Band

The second performance was put up by Formalisms, the only and biggest group that is made up of an eclectic mix of nine third year students of SP. It is also interesting to note that every members of the group are academically inclined with an average GPA of over 3.0

Beth Yap, Vocalist and Bassist of Formalisms

Tang Hui Jun, Bassist of Formalisms

John Tim, Drummer of Formalisms

Boaz Koh, Guitarist and Vocalist of Formalisms

Mr. Michael Spicer, SP’s DMAT Course Chairman, Playing the Flute with the Band.

The third performance was put up by V’Bel and her band.

V’ Bel is a very talented Violinist who recently graduated with a Diploma with Merit and a book prize. Her natural flair in music was discovered when she was 7 years old and since then, she has been performing in many arts events and concerts to hone her skills. Her music genre mainly lies in classical cross-over.

The Keyboardist in V’Bel’s Band.

The Bassist in V’Bel’s Band.

Now that you know and have seen a little bit about the various Student Artistes, wouldn’t it be good to listen to some of the songs from them?

Well, we have embedded the Student Artistes’ latest EP/Song Tracks in this blog entry and you can listen it for yourself below. We personally like the songs by Victoria Street and the addictive tune of V’Bel and her band.

The highlight for the night was perhaps the splendid performance put up by The Sam Willows, a local indie outlet.

Formed by siblings Ben and Narelle Kheng, and friends Sandra Riley Tang and Jon Chua; The Sam Willows burst onto the Singapore music scene in May 2012 with their luscious harmonies and special brand of country-folk that created a solid buzz across the island-state.

Drawing inspiration from acts like Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, Joss Stone, Keith Urban and the sound of a leaky tap, The Sam Willows craft an interesting country-folk sound interlaced with heavy vocals.

Benjamin, Primary Songwriter and Vocalist of The Sam Willows

Jonathan, Guitarist of The Sam Willows

Narelle from The Sam Willows Playing the Bass Guitar

Sandra from The Sam Willows Playing the Tambourine and the Shaker

Personally, we really like The Sam Willows and we daresay we’re converts now! To hear some of the groovy song tracks by The Sam Willows, we have embedded them in this blog entry as well.

Well, having said so much about the SPEAR Concert; if you’re an “O” Level Student and you have a keen passion and interest in music, you probably might want to consider enrolling yourself in Singapore Polytechnic’s Diploma in Music and Audio Technology Course. There, you will learn about acoustical science, music theory, recording and mixing techniques, musicianship, song-writing, song production, song arrangement, and many more!

What’s more, you can look forward to an array of exciting career opportunities upon graduation. Some of the career prospects include Recording Engineer, Live Sound Engineer, Music Producer, Songwriter, Music Arranger, and etc.!

For more information about Singapore Polytechnic’s Diploma in Music and Audio Technology Course, you can check out Singapore Polytechnic’s Website!

Once again, we would like to thank Singapore Polytechnic for inviting us to the SPEAR Concert and the various Student Artistes for putting up such an electrifying performance. 😀

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Bloggers’ Appreciation Dinner at NYDC [Holland Village] Hosted by Singapore Polytechnic

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Last year, before the year came to a close, Yvonne [Director of Singapore Polytechnic‘s Communications Department] graciously hosted a Bloggers’ Appreciation Dinner at NYDC [Holland Village] for all the Bloggers whom attended SPeLL’s 1st Anniversary.
It was nice catching up with some of the Bloggers whom were there at the dinner and we had a rather enjoyable evening.

Well, it was my first time dining at NYDC [a.k.a New York Dessert Cafe] and though I have always wanted to dine there, I haven’t had the opportunity until this invitation by Yvonne.

The outer appearance of NYDC is rather chic-looking and rather appealing. In fact, this picture of NYDC doesn’t really look like it is taken in Singapore.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

Since we had a fair bit of time before the dinner, Baby and I were checking out their menu at the hostess stand and we found out that NYDC serves mains like Pastas and Pizzas too.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

When we went into NYDC, the interior design and ambience of the cafe was rather neat, tidy, and organised! It has such a clean and cosy feel to it and whether you’re dining with a partner or with a group of friends, NYDC definitely can cater to both small and big groups of people.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

NYDC also has mains like Fish & Chips, Steaks, and Grilled Chicken.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

Since the festive promotion was still ongoing at that time, I decided to place an order for the Roastilicious Spatchcock; and for an additional $5.50, I completed my meal with a Soup of the Day, a Soft Drink, and a Scoop of Ice-Cream.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012
From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

While waiting for the food to arrive, here’s a candid shot of me that Baby took.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

And finally, the food arrived…

Cream of Mushroom Soup– The Cream of Mushroom Soup wasn’t as fantastic as I expected it to be. It has a “Campbell” kinda taste to me.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

The Sprite– Nothing much to explain about the Sprite because all Sprite taste the same.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

Baby had the Baked Prawns Pasta

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

and here’s the Roastilicious Spatchcock that I ordered

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

to be really honest, the soup and mains weren’t fabulous. It was below average and nothing much to rave about. However, the desserts are on the other end of the spectrum and they were rather tantalising.

This is the Scoop of Chocolate Ice-Cream that I had. Yummilicious!

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

For desserts, Baby and I shared a slice of the Boo Boo Cake and it is basically a chocolate cake with piped swirls of light whipped cream. On a side note, the piped swirls of light whipped cream tasted like marshmallows to me.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012
From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

After the filling dinner, Yvonne gave everyone of us a rather unique gift and well, it is a bottle of perfume that is specially formulated by the Students whom are studying Perfumery & Cosmetic Science in Singapore Polytechnic.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

The perfume, known as Romance II Singapore comes in a pair [one for the men and one for the ladies] and it is even available at the Duty Free Shop [DFS] at the airport.

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

So now we know, that there is even such a course [Perfumery & Cosmetic Science] that is available in Singapore Polytechnic! Pretty interesting huh!

Anyways, it was a fabulous evening with all the Bloggers and the team of awesome people from Singapore Polytechnic and we really want to thank Yvonne for hosting and inviting us to the dinner. We look forward to more of such gatherings soon!

From Bloggers’ Appreciation at NYDC 2012

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

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SPeLL’s 1st Anniversary 2012 @ Changi Airport Terminal 3

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Thanks to Andy from Sengkang Babies and Yvonne from Singapore Polytechnic [SP], I was invited to SPeLL‘s 1st Anniversary Celebration that was held at the Changi Airport Terminal 3.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

In case you’re wondering what SPeLL is; SPeLL is Singapore Polytechnic‘s Entrepreneurship Living Laboratory [in its long form] but essentially, SPeLL is a state-of-the-art retail outlet managed by SP Business School and powered by Motorola Solutions. It is where Students from SP Business School can put their business acumen to use.

Anyways, Grace from Working With Grace was there too and she said something like its kinda odd that a dude like me is covering a fashion event. Kinda true but well, men also have got to have some fashion sense, if not, how are they going to attract ladies eh? hahas.

So after registering myself, I was seated at the very 1st row and I had a pretty awesome vantage point for nice photos.

The emcees/hosts for the day.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

The Director of Singapore Polytechnic’s Business School Giving The Opening Address

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

I believe they should be the teaching faculty of SP Business School.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

All guests were treated to a splendid performance by the SP Dance Sport and Soul Ignite.

SP Dance Sport

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

Soul Ignite

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

After which, the launch of Verve Avenue Fashion Collection was initiated and the Runway Models were their very own SP Student Entrepreneurs.

Here are just some of the outstanding photos that I took during the fashion show. Of course, they do have quite a number of outfits and if you wish to check out their full collection, you can either head down to their retail store at Changi Airport Terminal 3 or check out SPeLL‘s website [which is currently under construction].

Personally, I find the design of the men’s outfits to be pretty decent, clean-cut, and neat. Though I wouldn’t say that the men’s outfits are formal, but however, the men’s outfits are pretty suitable for occasions such as social gatherings, parties, and for dress down days. It gives people a simple but yet sophisticated kind of impression.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012
From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012
From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

As for the ladies’ outfits, there are generally quite a number of styles to choose from. Some of the outfits can be rather “loud” while others are slightly more demure.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012
From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012
From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012
From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

One of the group shots for the day.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

I was trying to utilise the artistic filter in my camera for this shot and I think it turned out pretty good.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

The fashion show ended off with a big bang and the Student models were the biggest stars of the day.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

So, after which, we went to their retail store and oh my, there are so many things for the ladies!

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

From accessories and bags to dresses + tops, I’m pretty sure you ladies will be able to find something you like.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012
From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012
From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

To top it off, SPeLL is having a Christmas Fantasy Promotion where they are giving a 30% off all Verve Avenue items for 3 days till 5th November 2012 [yes, that is tomorrow!].

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

So while I was there, Grace took the liberty to try on some of the dresses and accessories.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012
From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012
From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

Of course, there are stuffs for the men’s too. For the men, you might want to check out their tops, bottoms, and also other accessories such as sunglasses and belts.

We can all be young again when we dress up with the Verve Avenue Designer Collection Clothing.

Here is SP’s Principal checking out the men’s outfits!

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

Besides checking out the shop, I also had the opportunity to do a mini interview with one of the SP Student Entrepreneurs whom is from the SP School of Business. Currently pursuing his Diploma in Business Administration, Ian Tan shared with me his personal experience of how it was like to manage and operate a retail store.

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

From designing the clothing and sourcing for suppliers to managing the inventory and budgeting of the retail store, every Student Entrepreneurs are given the exposure and experience to operate the retail store. Ian also shared that this practical hands-on approach has given them a sound solid foundation of business principles and has also contributed to their personal development and growth.

So, if you’re at the Singapore Changi Airport this weekend, do check out SPeLL at Terminal 3 and pamper yourself with their latest Verve Avenue Designer Collection!

From Spell’s 1st Anniversary 2012

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

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