Diva's Reylo Fan Art Series: Afterblossom's Creative and Adorable Cartoons

For a May the 4th Star Wars Day Special, Red Dot Diva continues with her Reylo Fan Art Series by introducing Kelly aka Afterblossom, a freelance artist based in Malaysia! (The first of the series was a Q&A with Rachel Xin , who is now working with Pixar!)

Afterblossom's level of creativity is as astounding as it is humourous. She manages to capture pop-culture characters, especially the Star Wars ones, in an irresistibly adorable way.  Reylo fans would have already come across her funny-cute cartoons and comics on her sites like Patreon, Tumblr or Twitter.

Red Dot Diva learned that Afterblossom started working on her first comic when she was getting her graphic design degree at university. Other than drawing, Afterblossom also enjoys reading, watching movies and swimming. But we really want to find out more about her art, don't we? So, here's Red Dot Diva's Q&A with Afterblossom:

Red Dot Diva: How did you get into drawing fan art?
Afterblossom: As someone who likes to draw, this comes naturally to me. I’ve been drawing fanart for my previous fandoms for a while. Once I saw The Last Jedi, I immediately supported the Reylo pairing and I have been drawing them ever since!

Celebrate Star Wars Day Online with Fightsaber Singapore on May the 4th

Sigh. Remember the pre-Covid-19 pandemic days??

Those were the days when local Star Wars fans here would gather physically to celebrate May the 4th Star Wars Day by interacting with costumers and cosplayers, ogling at wondrous toy collections, learning how to fight with a lightsaber, or simply enjoying each other's geeky company.

Earlier in March 2020, the organisers of May the 4th SG had wisely announced that due to safety reasons, there will not be a public event held this year. Then, Circuit Breaker happened, and no gatherings were allowed by law anyway.

However, it will be the school holidays next week, and the younglings will be off from HBL sessions. So, parents and their children can take part in a May the 4th celebration online with our favourite lightsaber performance and costume group, Fightsaber SG! 

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The school holidays are around the corner and so is May the 4th! This Circuit Breaker will not stop us from celebrating Star Wars Day and so we'd like to invite parents and children to participate in our exciting activities the next few weeks! We'll be organizing activities that you can take part in, all from the comfort and safety of your home! Watch this space the next few days as we announce more details on the activities and how you can also stand a chance to win prizes! #fightsabersingapore #fightsaber #starwars #starwarsday #maythe4th #maythe4thsg #sgunited #stayhomesg

A post shared by FightSaber Singapore (@fightsabersg) on Apr 29, 2020 at 7:20am PDT

Cartoon Network Premieres New Animation Series MONSTER BEACH on 25 April 2020

To the agony of fellow Red Dot Islanders, Circuit Breaker just got extended. It is going to be tough to keep the younger ones interested and energised till 1 June, while keeping them safe at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To add on to the list of fun things that the children can do, Red Dot Diva recommends Cartoon Network's brand new animation series called MONSTER BEACH. Surf-siblings Jan and Dean have been sent to live with their distant Uncle Woody on a tropical island called Iki-Iki. Hanging out on the island's very happening Monster Beach, is a kooky and colourful gang of monster surfers.

Together, the siblings and their monster friends cruise around the island attempting to solve a series of freaky mysteries and legends, while fending off the resident bad guy Dr. Knutt, who happens to be the leader of a tribe of tiki monsters. It is simply the kind of cool, endless summer vacation that any kid would dream of!

Take a peek at this karaoke sing-a-ling video to get acquainted with the various misfits of MONSTER BEACH:

Diva's Review: Scifi Short Film AFTER_LIFE by Perry Lam Tugs at the Heartstrings

It is usually during times of stress, isolation and uncertainty, that people tend to take stock of their lives. When you are forced to live in the company of those in your household for days on end, it can either be a bittersweet feeling, a sense of relief, or for many others, torrents of extreme frustration and anger.

However, during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the elderly are the most vulnerable of contracting and dying from the disease, most of us are holding our parents and grandparents nearer and dearer to us, even though they may be an annoyance in our daily lives.

The short local film called AFTER_LIFE is a reminder to appreciate those we love, and if you are brave, to verbally express that you love them too. Time and life can be fleeting, and in a moment, things that once know can change drastically.

AFTER_LIFE, written & directed by Australia-based Perry Lam, is a short story with a scifi twist. It tells the tale of a young man named Kurt, who learns to find meaning between the realms of imagination and reality, and how to deal with the consequences of his loss and regrets.

Diva's Friend Booked Her A Video Message From Neal McDonough - Thank You SO MUCH!

It's DAY 3 of CIRCUIT BREAKER Mode in Red Dot Island, as us islanders try to curb the spread of the infectious disease, and attempt to “flatten the curve”. What other countries call a lockdown, the Red Dot Island government has decided to call “Circuit Breaker”. Red Dot Diva thinks the term used is both ingenious and funny at the same time.

Not being with friends or family for an extended period of time can be disconcerting. Even for most introverts. People are social creatures after all, regardless of the level of interaction one prefers.

So, it was such a LOVELY SURPRISE when Red Dot Diva was woken up by a familiar ping on WhatsApp this morning from fellow nerd bro Ryan. Within the message was a video from one of Red Dot Diva's favourite silver foxy actors, NEAL MCDONOUGH!

OMG. *introverted silent shrieks*

Ryan had booked for the special message from a video-sharing website called CAMEO, and it totally made Red Dot Diva's day.

Watch Neal McDonough say hello to Red Dot Diva:

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A post shared by Red Dot Diva (@reddotdiva) on Apr 8, 2020 at 11:11pm PDT

HBO's Westworld Season 3 Is Sleeker But Still An Intriguing Reboot

"A new narrative awaits" teases one of the social media promotional tagline for HBO's WESTWORLD Season 3, and after watching screeners of 4 episodes for this review, Red Dot Diva agrees that the show feels like a reboot.

In the new season, creators and writers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (they are also the show's executive producers) have taken viewers out of the dystopian theme park into the real world, where android Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) has escaped to, after a bloody revolution in Season 2. Within the setting of future Los Angeles, with its glistening tall buildings, iconic palm trees and modernised ghettos, the show's storyline is less convoluted, has fewer time jumps, and is also more focused on corporations vs mankind.

This show of corporate greed and control is embodied in a new villain Serac (Vincent Cassel), a trillionaire all ready to pounce on and use the data collected by Delos through the Westworld theme park. His plans are constantly foiled by Dolores, who has an agenda of her own, and so, Serac asks the intelligent android Maeve (Thandie Newton) to find and kill her fellow theme park mate.

In fact, one of the early episodes that focused on Maeve's storyline is Red Dot Diva's favourite. Thandie Newton is a deft actor, and beautifully chews up her scenes depicting both human emotion and robotic efficiency.

Celebrate Hanami at Garden By The Bay's Sakura Matsuri 2020 - Residents get 50% discount on ticket prices

It is still possible to enjoy hanami (flower viewing), even though your travel plans has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You just need to head down to the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay for the Sakura Matsuri - Tale of the Peach Boy.

From now till 29 March, over 300 sakura (cherry blossom) and about 200 momo (peach blossom) trees transform part of the Flower Dome into a Japanese springtime landscape. With over 20 varieties of these blossoms are also set against the backdrop of red torii gates as well as a quaint teahouse.

By the way, tickets to the Flower Dome for Sakura Matsuri, Cloud Forest, Supertree Observatory and Floral Fantasy for Singapore residents are now at 50% discount! Children aged 3 to 12 years are also able to enter these locations for free during the March school holidays. So, this is a family outing and photo opportunity not to be missed!


WHERE FLOWERS NEVER STOP BLOOMING 

This special initiative by Gardens by the Bay aims to stand by local businesses and bring a measure of joy to Singapore residents who have had to cancel their trips to Japan because of COVID-19. From now till 15 March, Gardens by the Bay is offering 500 Singapore residents a chance to visit the Sakura Matsuri for free.

All you need to do is to share what your disrupted travel plans mean to you through the Garden's website. Not only do you get a chance to enter the floral display for free, this offer includes Pan Pacific Singapore's Fun-mily Escape package that has a weekend staycation for 2 adults and 2 children, plus a brunch at Keyaki Japanese restaurant! The entire deal is worth about SGD 798++.

That's not all. Visitors can also receive 30% off their bills at Pan Pacific hotel's Edge, Hai Tien Lo and Keyaki restaurants if they present the Flower Dome's ticket. This offer is redeemable until 30 June 2020.

Here are some are things to do when you are strolling along the Sakura Matsuri garden trail.