Wednesday, December 31, 2014

At Kinokuniya: Local Writer Wayne Rée's Not So Tiny Q&A Panel

2014 has been a wonderful year for Red Dot Diva because she got to know a few more interesting humans of the geek tribe. And with a chosen particular few, she got to interact with them even more, making her life a very interesting ride outside the humdrum of a cubicle-based day job.

One of these geeky souls is Wayne Rée.Yes, the exuberant one with the rocker-like tattooed biceps, silver-tinged hair and sexy beard. For visual reference, Red Dot Diva is helpfully providing a pic taken during STGCC 2014. That's Wayne, on the left, happily flexing his biceps. Heh heh.


Together with fellow-writer/artist-in-crime Gene Whitlock (the even crazier one on the right), they have each released their first books with small publisher Math Paper Press (an imprint of Books Actually) at STGCC. For Gene Whitlock, it was a madhouse anthropomorphic caper called "The Unsavoury Alphabet". As for Wayne, his creative output was a quieter and very insightful book consisting of a collection of 11 short proses entitled "Tales From A Tiny Room".

At Kinokuniya's relocated main store two months ago, Wayne held a not-so-tiny Q&A session that was ably moderated by 1/3 Here Be Geeks, Peter Lin. The main topic of discussion was how Wayne got his first book "From Concept to Print".

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Spotted: Diva's Top 5 OffBeat (or Cute!) Festive Sightings in 2014

Did somebody's tree escape?
It's that time of year again!

The air(con) gets a few degrees chillier. More commuters attempt to burrow in their hoodies, trying to escape from the wet monsoon season. Little human monsters run recklessly afoot at malls as if they were specially bred to trip people up.... And to add insult to injury, the vapid Christmas lighting dangle all around Orchard Road like are cash registers made of gold.

There's simply no better time (*snark*) to channel your geekiness in other ways so that the year-end holidays are More Kapow, Less Humbug.

Here are Red Dot Diva's Top 5 Weird (Cute) and Offbeat Things she spotted during the Christmas season. 

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Batman 75th Anniversary - Takashimaya Square Taken Over By A Gotham City Cosplay Battle!

Earlier today at Takashimaya Square, a superhero battle of a different sort took place.

20 contestants came together on stage for the first-ever cosplay competition of Batman and Gotham City characters. The event was the last of many events held this year as part of this year's special Batman 75th Anniversary celebration. (Click here for a previous article on this.)

There was also a replica of the 1989 Batmobile on display beside the stage, which captured a lot of admiration from Batman fans - young and old alike.


Red Dot Diva was at the cosplay event to give moral support to a couple of friends who were participating in the competition. @Sarahcoldheart was there as the current version of Batgirl, and Raymond Xperia Chan was all suited up as Batman.

Just before the event kicked off, she bumped into fellow geek blogger, action figure customizer and ardent DC comics supporter Jedd Jong. As expected, he had brought his customized action figures with him.

Accompanying Jedd for today were 1989 Keaton Batman, and unmasked Catwoman! Of course, Red Dot Diva had to molest action figure Batman's biceps. *grin*


Very promptly at 1 PM, the event host Juliana came on stage to introduce the judges for the competition. They were Wallace Tay from Pacific Licensing Studios, Bernard Ang from GnB Comics, and Reno Tan from Movie Mania.


After which, the cosplay contestants were introduced on stage, one after the other. Unfortunately, Red Dot Diva cannot remember all of the cosplayer names (sorry!) but there were a few who really stood out.

The first few contestants were hamming it up with their stage presence, especially Scarecrow. His costume wasn't much but he was going around spreading his fear toxin via aerosol spray can. Pzzt psszzt. Red Dot Diva thought he was hilarious.


Then, there was a really good and pretty rare cosplay of a Stephanie Brown version of Robin. Female represent, YEAH! Red Dot Diva learnt that the cosplayer was from Hong Kong and she came all the way to Red Dot Island for the competition! WOW. Talk about dedication!


One of Red Dot Diva's favourite was what she calls Harvey Quinn -- or genderbend Harley Quinn. For one thing, there were BICEPS, yo! And also, Harvey Quinn certainly had a lot of bad boy stage presence.


The other two who did their poses well were young, svelte Nightwing and hunky Red Hood.


@Sarahcoldheart was cute as ever being Batgirl. She was the one of the most resonant and energetic on stage. And that's even after taking into consideration that prior to the cosplay contest, she ran for the 10km Standard Chartered Marathon bright and early in the morning!


As for the two Batman cosplays, Red Dot Diva liked both Jacen's and Raymond's versions. She can't decide which!


Many of the others seemed a little awed by the number of onlookers somehow, and didn't stay still to pose long enough for the audience to soak in their presence. The DC52 Joker had a really cool cosplay getup but he seemed a little shy. (Note to new and aspiring cosplayers: Be confident, hold your poses, and strut it on stage!)

The judges were not the only ones deciding on the Top 3 winners. The audience had a chance to cast their votes on site as well. After a few minutes tabulating the results, the final 3 were Batman (Jacen Khoo), Red Hood and Steph Robin!! Congratulations!


Even for those who did not win, they looked like they were having fun. Which was what geeky cosplay is all about, isn't it?

Here's another look of all the contestants with the judges: (OK, so...  Gotham City Police dude looks a little down in the dumps, but then again, patrolling the streets of Gotham City is a tough job.)


Just when one thinks it's safe after the cosplay competition had officially ended, there was more mayhem to be seen.

Out of nowhere, Nurse Joker appeared. After making a very tentative truce with Batman, they posed for a photo op.


And Harvey Quinn was caught throwing a mini tantrum and about to take it out on the Batmobile....


Good thing, the Bat Family were all there to save the day! Even the Baby ones!


By the way, special mention to Victoria, who was in a really pretty Batgirl (animated cartoon version) costume but decided not to participate because of minor "wardrobe malfunction". Still, she attracted a lot of attention with her unusual costume. That was because many were unfamiliar with this particular version of Batgirl, and a few even called her BatMummy. Yes. You heard it right. BAT MUMMY. Is anyone going to do an Egyptian alternate universe for Batgirl yet?


Soon, everyone had kind of dispersed in their own groups or gone off to remove their costumes. But... there was still one more thing Red Dot Diva wanted to do before she headed home.

A Batman and Catwoman "Meet and Greet" was scheduled to take place at the same stage at 4 PM. That was still 1.5 hours away. So, after wandering around Takashimaya shopping for Christmas trimmings and much needed sustenance, Red Dot Diva returned to stage side to get a good vantage point.

There was a long line of excited children waiting for the appearance, and soon all the available floor space in front of the stage were taken up by a sea of eager faces.

When showtime was up, Catwoman was the first to appear. She slinked across the stage, cracking her leather whip to very good effect. Red Dot Diva thought a few grown men possibly purred at the sight of her too.



Tall and buff Batman then joined her on stage. He was a uber-friendly kind of Batman, waving to the kids and crowd. There was a chance to take photos (no selfies though!) with the two characters, so Red Dot Diva practically dived into the queue. From what she saw, she was the only non-parent in line for photos. Hahaha. Not shy, lor.

But since Red Dot Diva is an evil minx, she thinks she fits right into the Bat-Cat family. Yes? ;)




Sunday, November 30, 2014

24 Hour Comic Book Exhibition and Cartoons Underground Festival Throw the Spotlight on Local Artistic Talent

It's the last month of the year.  Eeks.

In the midst of scrambling for getting one's work done before the year ends, well-deserved and planned (or maybe impromptu) holiday breaks and party preparations, there are always this last rush of events that seem to crop up in December. Like one's boss sneaking up from behind just when one is going on an emo-rant on Facebook.

Red Dot Diva got wind of two upcoming exhibitions that might be of interest to the local geek crowd. Check these out:



24 Hour Comics Exhibition
Back in early October, the annual Singapore 24-Hour Comics Day kicked off at LaSalle College of the Arts, where aspiring comic creators and artists hole themselves up in rooms to create a story within a day.

Friday, November 28, 2014

The Inaugural Singapore Media Festival - A Celebration of Asian Film and TV

After a two-year hiatus, the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) returns this year with a showcase of a total of 147 films from 50 countries.

SGIFF's comeback heralds a glorious celebration of cinema, together with three other industry-related film and TV events, namely the Asian Television Forum (ATF), Screen Singapore and Asian TV Awards (ATA).

All four events will be held at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre in December 2014, under the umbrella of Singapore Media Festival, the first of its kind hosted by the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA).

Monday, November 17, 2014

The SMRT Circle Line Gets A Disney Makeover!

Three of Disney's and Marvel's most popular movies have now arrived at the SMRT Circle Line!

If you are one of those who commute on the Circle Line often, you would already have gotten "Frozen" or went into Hydra mode at seeing Captain America's shield. Or maybe even have the urge to go Pew Pew Pew when sitting in the "Star Wars"-themed carriage.

The train car makeovers are a result of an 18-month collaboration between Disney and SMRT. Besides having carriages decorated with characters and iconic symbols from "Frozen", "The Avengers" and "Star Wars", the promotion also extends to SMRT's other retail and digital networks of Disney's brand and franchises, including activities held at the Kallang Wave Mall.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Batman 75th Anniversary: Suit Up for the Batman and Gotham City Cosplay Competition!

2014 has been a year-long celebration for Batman's 75th Anniversary, with fans of the Dark Knight and the general public enjoying a list of geeky activities coordinated by Pacific Licensing Studio (PLS) together with Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) and DC Entertainment.

Some of these events include a DC Superheroes stamp and memorabilia exhibition at the Singapore Philatelic Museum (the first in Asia), the broadcast of animated series "Beware the Batman" on Toonami (StarHub Channel 315), Sentosa cable cars decorated with DC comic superhero flair, special postage stamp releases by SingPost, and exclusive Batman75 apparel and other collectibles at the DC Stores.

To wrap up the birthday bash, PLS is working with Movie Mania to host a Batman and Gotham City Cosplay Competition which will be held at Takashimaya Square (B2), 12:30 PM to 3 PM on 7th December (Sunday)!

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Diva Cannot Get Enough of Baymax - At "Big Hero 6" Preview, Funko Toy Exhibition and the Movie Review!

Red Dot Diva simply cannot resist it. She has met Baymax and he is soooooooooo cute!!!

Thanks to the folks at the local Disney PR, she was invited to a special preview screening of "Big Hero 6" last Saturday at Bugis+ Filmgarde. "Big Hero 6", a creative result from Disney's acquisition of Marvel and her properties, is the studio's latest superhero animation film which will out on theatres islandwide tomorrow, 13 November.

MOVIE PREVIEW AT BUGIS+:

"Remember to come early!" urged the Disney PR representative. "There will be fringe activities. Red Dot Diva had little idea what these fringe activites were, other than being pretty sure there will be a life-sized version of Baymax on display, but she headed down "early" to Bugis+ Filmgarde, anyway.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

A Fan's Encounter: Meeting "Superman" Henry Cavill in Gibraltar!

There are many, many people in this world who dream of meeting Superman.

The closest one could probably get to that wish, is to meet Henry Cavill - the actor who plays the current Man of Steel in the movies.

One of Red Dot Diva's online acquaintances Anthony Ong, achieved that personal goal recently despite facing some health issues. During the time that he was planning to meet Henry Cavill in Gibraltar, Anthony suffered from a returning bout of Bells Palsy. The affliction gave him a lot of pain in his cranial nerve and caused some of his facial muscles to freeze up. Anthony nearly cancelled his trip because of that.

It was a good thing he didn't. Because of his dedication towards #ProjectHenry (this was what Anthony had named his personal mission), he not only got to meet the lovely Henry Cavill, he also managed to exchange more than a few words with the actor.

Now, some readers may be wondering... why of all places Gibraltar? As an ambassador for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund (RMCTF), Henry Cavill was taking part in the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines held on 24-27 October 2014 by participating in the 5km The Gibraltar Rock Run. As in most grand celebrations, there was a gala dinner which Henry Cavill also attended.

Here are some edited excerpts from Anthony's story:

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Sunday, November 2, 2014

Meet Disney's Latest Super-Nerds When "Big Hero 6" Opens on November 13!


The date of November 13 looms near, and it's a somewhat terrifying thought for Red Dot Diva.

Why? That's when Disney's animated movie "Big Hero 6" will be premiering in theatres island-wide, and Red Dot Diva is not sure if she can handle the extreme kawaii-ness of inflatable robotic nurse, Baymax! Ahhhhhhh!! 

Just when she thought she was about to get over Dancing Baby Groot, here comes another cute huggable thing to coo over. *whimper* HELP!

The team behind "Frozen" and "Wreck-It-Ralph" returns - this time with Walt Disney Animation Studios' adaptation of a defunct Marvel comic with the same name.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

At "The Walking Dead" Exclusive Event: Escaping from Terminus (Singapore-Style)


Remember "The Walking Dead" Terminus Escape exclusive event for a group of fans that was held a few weekend ago ?

Over 400 participants made their valiant attempts to gather supplies and escape from hungry zombies on 11 and 12 October at the Old Bukit Timah railway station.

Red Dot Diva could not be there in person because she was away on holiday overseas, so here's a very amusing report of what happened to the one of the teams who had won passes from Red Dot Diva's online blog contest! Thanks to David Goei for writing this report and sharing the awesome photos. Also, thanks to his pals for participating in the real-life zombie escape experience!

Monday, October 6, 2014

The National Geographic Channel Free Pet Shop - Promoting the Impawtence of Responsible Pet Ownership

When Red Dot Diva heard about The National Geographic Channel (NGC) Free Pet Shop, she was all fur showing support and helping to get word out on responsible pet ownership.

It is a mini tribute after all to her beloved Westie, Ashley, who at a ripe old age of 17 years, has since gone over the Rainbow Bridge. That was over 5 years ago, and Red Dot Diva has not gotten a new pet since.

The NGC Free Pet Shop was held at the Big Splash, East Coast Park this past weekend (4 and 5 October), and in this third edition, the channel has managed to gather support from eight participating no-kill dog shelters – Action for Singapore Dogs, Animal Lovers League, Causes for Animals, Gentle Paws, Noah’s Ark Cares, Save Our Street Dogs, Three Legs Good, and Uncle Khoe’s K9 Shelter. This was twice the number of participating dog shelters since the first event and this year, there were sponsors and partners like the ​Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group, Subaru and Starhub, amongst other private organisations.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Gamestart Asia 2014: Set to be Singapore's Most Happening Gaming Convention

As Red Dot Diva will be away for two weeks, she will not be able to check out GameStart Asia 2014.

Instead, Red Dot Dude will be attending and reporting together with the rest of the Glam Bloggers' Alliance - Agent W and Ed from Toys-etc!

Here's Red Dot Dude's quick recap of the GameStart Asia 2014 media preview held recently:

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In the area of gaming, US folks have the Electronic Entertainment Expo (“E3”), Japanese fans have the Tokyo Game Show, and those in Germany go for Gamescom. In less than 3 weeks, Singapore will have her own gaming-focused convention called GameStart Asia 2014, and it is the only gaming show that will be held here this year! In fact, GameStart Asia 2014 will be the first by organizer Eliphant Pte Ltd.

Eliphant held a media preview last Wednesday (2nd October 2014) at the St Games’ Café in Bugis+ to give us a taste of what to expect.


GameStart, which will be held at Suntec City Convention Centre on 25th and 26th October 2014, targets to appeal to core and casual gamers as well as cosplay enthusiasts, who are based not only in Singapore but the South-East Asian region. Some of the exhibitors are big name companies such as, Sony Computer Entertainment HK (“SCEHK”), Bandai Namco Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Razor, etc.

Main exhibitor, SCEHK, will provide attendees with the unique opportunity to meet gaming industry celebrities such as
Ono Yoshinori, Street Fighter Series Producer
Masaaki Yamagiwa, Bloodborne Producer
Junichi Yoshizawa, Freedom Wars Producer
Daigo Umehara (The Beast), world leading Street Fighter player

SCEHK is set to occupy more than 250 square meters of booth space, allowing attendees to experience PlayStation’s interactive booth with over 30 games. Other things to note are the Trade-in Programme, where one can trade in any old gaming console for a SGD100 rebate on the PS4 and premium goods to be given away for game trials.

Hidetoshi Takigawa, SE Asia Region Head of Sony Computer Entertainment Singapore (SCES), showing a preview of the Playstation Booth

There will also be fantastic early bird specials for the SCEHK booth.
• First 3 customers to purchase a PS4 will receive a Sony Xperia Z3 as well as a 3 year PlayStation Plus membership and a T-shirt
• First 10 customers to purchase a PS4 will get a uniquely designed Toro cover and a PlayStation T-shirt
• First 50 customers each day will receive a free PlayStation T-shirt

Some of the awesome specials that SCEHK is offering

What's a gaming convention without gaming tournaments? If you are a Street Fighter fan who's all set to kick butt on the consoles, you will want to head straight to Razor's booth, where the finals of the Capcom Pro Tour Asia will be held. Top Asian Street Fighters from the region will be competing for the championship and a chance to participate in the global Capcom Pro Tour Finals in the US. Attendees will also have the chance to face RZR Xian and Daigo Umehara (both previous Street Fighters champion) to a match of Street Fighter. Edward from Toys-etc and I had the chance to challenge RZR Xian during the Media Preview and we got thoroughly wiped out.

Edward looking helplessly as RZR Xian decimate his Ryu

Fans of retro gaming will be able to try their hand at some games of the old console systems, such as Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Megadrive, etc.

For cosplay enthusiasts, renowned international cosplayers Yuegene Fay (Thailand) and Yasemin Arslan (Australia) will be present to meet fans in a panel on stage as as well as act being judges for the cosplay competition that will be held on the 26th October 2014.

International guests who will be at GameStart 2014

Tickets are on sale at S$8.50 for a 1-day pass and S$15.00 for a 2-day pass. All tickets will qualify for a daily draw where winners can go home with goodies like consoles, games, gaming accessories and many more.


Hope to see you guys at GameStart Asia 2014!!!!

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Also, check out fellow GBA, Ed from Toys-etc's Survival Guide on the GameStart Asia 2014 over here!


Thursday, October 2, 2014

"The Walking Dead Terminus Escape" - Grab Some Friends, and Win Passes for the Event!



Earlier, Red Dot Diva has given "The Walking Dead" fans heads up on an escape race taking place on 11 and 12 October. (Click here to check out the details in a previous blog post.)

The special event, organised by FOX in partnership with SingTel and in consultation with game experts Xcape Singapore, is to celebrate the Season 5 premiere of "The Walking Dead" on Monday, 13 October at 9pm on FOX (SingTel mio TV Ch. 330)!

If you are one of the fans who haven't managed to score passes for this rare opportunity, Red Dot Diva is running a blog contest and offering 2 sets of passes for selected winners! Each set consists of 6 passes. That means you should start gathering your fellow zombie apocalypse survivors - consisting of a band of 6 people - to negotiate the obstacle course together!

Here are the details of the event:

Date: Saturday, 11 October 2014
Time: Between 11 AM to 6 PM (you can select your slots if you win. Sessions start every hour.) Venue: VERY HUSH-HUSH. It's a Secret and the winners will be notified the day before.
Participants will play in a group of 6. You will have to hit a registration link to register for your slots. The link will be given when the winners are announced.


How to Win Passes:
1. Go Like the Red Dot Diva Facebook page
2. Share the post link related to this article
3. 1 entry eligible for each person. For Singapore residents only.
4. Contest ends on 8 October 2014 (Wednesday), 9 PM Singapore time
5. Winners will be chosen randomly from eligible participants, and announced via Facebook. If the winner does not respond by 9 October 2014 (Thursday), 12 PM noon, another winner will be chosen.

ARE YOU READY?!!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

"Star Wars Rebels" Brings A New Hope to The Galaxy!



Things cannot get any geekier than this for Red Dot Diva.

A few days ago, she was invited to watch a special screening of new animated series, "Star Wars Rebels" at The Sandcrawler - the regional headquarters of Lucasfilm's campus on the Red Dot Island.

The Sandcrawler has the familiar shape of those giant vehicular fortresses manned by Jawas for transportation and shelter in the desertlands of Tatooine. Earlier this year, George Lucas himself was here in the building, together with Kathleen Kennedy and Red Dot Island's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for its unveiling. (Check out the article of their visit here.)

It was Red Dot Diva's first time visiting The Sandcrawler and she was very excited to be able to step into the hallowed grounds of Lucasfilm, and walked where George Lucas walked. After all, "Star Wars" was the first scifi movie that captured her childhood imagination, and it was also her very first major fandom. That love for "Star Wars" has never died, enduring even those last 3 disappointing movies that older die-hard fans want to mostly forget ever existed.

Monday, September 22, 2014

The Geek Invasion Is Set To Begin In Jakarta At ITGCC!

The success of STGCC has spurred its organizer Reed Exhibitions to extend a similar blend of geeky fun and excitement to Jakarta later this year.

Reed Panorama Exhibitions (RPE) will be launching Indonesia Toy, Games and Comic Convention (ITGCC) at Hall C, JIExpo on 22-23 November 2014. This is the chance for Indonesian fans to get together and celebrate the love of manga, toys, comics, exclusives and collectibles! As in the case in Red Dot Island, the show will give local Indonesian creative folks an avenue to showcase their talent and product. Familiar segments of the show like panels, Walk of Fame and cosplay runways will also be held at ITGCC.

The launch of ITGCC is our next step to unite pop culture fans in Southeast Asia. After seven amazing editions in Singapore, we are glad to be able to bring the same excitement to Indonesia where all of loyal fans will have an opportunity to unite and enjoy the vibrant international content from the East and West,” said Ms Rita Magnus, Senior Manager, Project and Content, Pop Culture Cluster.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Spot Red in Singapore as "The Blacklist" Season 2 Premieres on AXN Asia, September 23rd!

Hit TV Series "The Blacklist" may seem like the run-of-the-mill good guy vs bad guy investigative show. But there are a few things that set it apart from other FBI or cop shows out there.

For starters, there's Emmy Award-winning actor James Spader, who is superb in the main role of Red "Reddington", the manipulative resident baddie with a well-mannered, cultured demeanor but mysterious background.

Parading around in his trademark fedora and black trench coat, and enunciating his lines in clipped tones that more often than not are dripping with sarcasm, one simply cannot keep one's eyes off him on screen! James Spader makes egoistical and scheming Red's almost Hannibal-Clarisse-like relationship with FBI agent rookie profiler Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) seem creepy but believable.

Secondly, the show is full of characters that have intriguing backgrounds and nefarious motives. In Season 1, every episode was based on a target with an over-the-top codename like "The Stewmaker" or "The Pavlovich Brothers". Each target on Red's list provided clues to the intricate web that he had been weaving, and continues to weave.

There were more twists and kinks than one could count, making the series such a watchable guilty-pleasure. Red Dot Diva got seriously hooked to it after the first couple of episodes of Season 1!

Saturday, September 20, 2014

STGCC 2014 Recap: The Adventures of Diva the Biceps Hunter - Day 1

There's simply no rest for the Dedicated Biceps Hunter.

After the glorious adulation of bicepstuous guests present at the STGCC Media Preview on Thursday (4 September), it was straight on to convention weekend for Red Dot Diva. (Check out the run-down of the Media Preview here.)

There were murmurings of some changes made to STGCC this year, but Red Dot Diva was still caught by surprise at how different the show felt compared to 2013's. To the organizer's credit, most of the tweaks made were favourable ones:

1. No Longer An Iron-Man Show
Last year's show was nicknamed "The Iron-Man" show. Undoubtedly, Iron-Man was very popular with the crowd but it was "too much" Iron-Man! Everywhere one turned, there he was. The similar kind of one-note branding was noticeably absent this year. Yes, there was a bit more "Guardians of the Galaxy" but there were almost equally as much "Avengers", "Spider-man" and "Star Wars"!

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

RUN! It's The Walking Dead Terminus Escape Game!



... and it's coming to the shores of our Red Dot Island on 11 and 12 October!

Now is the best time to train for a zombie apocalypse because at a very secret location (that will only be revealed on the day itself), those with special passes will have to to use their wits and whatever tools available to escape from the locked environment within a certain time. (Note: Pass-holders will be transported to Terminus, and will be put together with a few group members for the game.)

And what if the attempt to escape ends up being unsuccessful? Then, *Chomp!*.. it's agrrgggghrrr BRAINSssssss Time.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

TV Series "Gotham" Premieres in Singapore 25th September! Get Ready To Hunt Down A Villain!


Red Dot Islanders! Get ready to hunt down a nasty Gotham Villain real soon!

According to Warner TV Asia, the widely-anticipated origin TV series "Gotham" will premiere barely two weeks from now, on 25th September, and fans will get a chance to do some crime-busting!

First, for those who do not yet know of this upcoming TV series, "Gotham" in based on the adventures of a young Detective James Gordon's (Benjamin McKenzie) and his rise to the position of Commissioner in the Gotham City Police Department, as he investigates cases in one of the most dangerous and violent cities in the DC Comics universe. What does it take for Gordon to battle the ever-rising spiral of corruption and crime as he strives to protect the people in his beloved city?

Friday, September 12, 2014

STGCCBiceps Instagram Photo Contest - Winners Announced!

During this year's STGCC, the Glam Bloggers Alliance (GBA) held an Instagram photo contest with the topic on STGCCBiceps.

There were some really fun ones posted by attendees, and the GBA thanks those who participating and joining in the fun!

Congratulations to the three winners of the contest showing off their glorious STGCCBiceps!!


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Noise Singapore 2014 Showcase: Eclectic Expressions of the Whimsical and Weird at ION Basement 4

For those who are not aware, the art showcase for Noise Singapore is currently going on at ION Basement 4 this year!

There are only a few days left as the exhibition wraps up on 14 September. So, if one has time this week, do head down to the open area near Muji/ Jason's supermarket, any time from 10 AM to 9 PM, to admire some visually interesting works of art.

Noise Singapore, an initiative set up by the National Arts Council, aims to promote young artists, which include photographers, film-makers and musicians as well. Throughout most parts of the year, Noise Singapore had held workshops and concerts held to help create more buzz for these new artists. They could, after all, one day create something that might make the world sit up and take notice.

Friday, September 5, 2014

STGCC 2014: Media Preview at The Vault - Geek Casual is In!

Geeky-casual is how Red Dot Diva would sum up the Media Preview for STGCC 2014, held at the Vault on 4 September Thursday morning.

This year, the venue for the Media Preview had changed from the stiff swanky upper-class poshness of MBS' meeting rooms to a pub known for geeky drink gatherings at historic Boat Quay. In fact, there were Harry Potter and Middle Earth posters placed in some corners of the room.

Humberto Ramos, Alex Solis, Matt "Sekure" Fabris and cosplayer Lenneth XVII were the special convention guests ready to meet the bunch of media at the preview. It was with great fortune that Red Dot Diva got introduced to the master artist Humberto Ramos as he got of his transport outside the Vault.

Inside the Vault, the convention exclusives were displayed for everyone to have a look at, including those from Hot Toys, Mighty Jaxx and all the others.


Both Ed from toys-etc.com and Agent W were hauled for official photographer duties during the Media Preview, and Red Dot Dude had helped ferry a couple of the guests from their hotel to the Vault, so it was up to Red Dot Diva to do her glam social media thing.

Here's Ed's quickie write-up about the couple of hours that happened that day:

Hanging Out All Casual and Threadless at Lowercase Cafe with Alex Solis

When one of e-commerce site Threadless' most popular artist is in town, how can there not be a drink-and-draw party to battle pencil strokes with?

On 4 September Thursday nite, Threadless dude Jeff Guerrero and Chunkies-meister Alex Solis (who is absolutely not chunky at all, mind you) together with their pal "King Genius" Jarius, hosted a casual hangout at Lowercase Cafe. The cool-hip bistro-cafe was cozily situated within the belly of LaSalle College of the Arts.

The three adorable charmers kept fans, geeks, art/ design students and fellow artists warmly entertained with a free-flow of beer, freebies (stashes of Threadless pins and mini sketchbooks) and a whole lot of fun conversation.


Red Dot Diva, Ed, Agent W and Jas were all there at the party to wind down for the day. Not long after, IDW artist Mark Torres (who just hopped off from his plane ride!) joined the gang together with pals, Kim and Fripside. There were other Threadless fans from Philippines and Malaysia, who came and hung out at Lowercase too.

STGCC 2014: Spotlight on Gene Whitlock - Diva Uncovers the Shady Background About "The Unsavoury Alphabet"

Aussie illustrator Gene Whitlock aka Danger Gene is a very well-known acquaintance of Red Dot Diva. For one thing, they keep bumping into each other in the same geek circles and locations. Not literally, of course. Gene's wondrous beard and hair (*flick*) does not allow that to happen.

What does happen though, is that their encounters are always fun and full of laughter. So it is with much immorally ambiguous pleasure to throw the Red Dot Diva pre-STGCC spotlight on Gene, who will be launching his book "The Unsavoury Alphabet" at BookActually's booth called "The Comic Strip".

(For more details on BookActually's first foray in STGCC, do read this previous article!)

Here's the (VERY) lowdown from Gene Whitlock about "The Unsavoury Alphabet":