To make my life better, I bought a new bag from High Sierra. It was on sale so I got it for real cheap at SGD $43. Here’s how it looks like:

By one look, you can see a rugged looking bag that is built to last. On the outside, there are two side pockets which I use to store hand pumps, balloon sticks and some shining spray. At the very top there is another pocket which I put one packet of transparent balloons for making novelty pieces to impress when the situation calls for it.

Opening up the main compartment…

In order to achieve this, I made 4 balloon wraps and inserted them into the main compartment. The wrap helps to hold the balloons firmly in place and keep them organised. I had a lot of help from my girlfriend’s mum while making the wrap. The best material I could get hold of was a canvas-like material which is pretty close to that used to make the thick kind of jeans. Got one yard at Singapore Textile Centre for $10.

Opening the outer pocket reveals several slot in pockets of various sizes, some even come with zip. Ideal for putting markers, namecards and any other small tools.

Bottom holds a large pocket which can be used to store a variety of things. Here I put a few packets of assorted colours and a spare pump. I currently use an electric pump for line work and it works perfect. I have to store it in another waist pouch so I can access it easily.

Below are some of the photos taken, for sharing =)

The 2 large scale fish shown below were done by Mr Stone Chang and his team of balloon artists from Taiwan.

Below are some photos taken at the workshop.

Below are some photos taken with the instructors of the workshop.

Frederick from Singapore and myself made a balloon costume for the costume exhibition based on his design, below are some photos.

Ms Charisa from the Phillipines and myself made a piece for the competition, this is how it looked like.

Hope this entry had been enriching as the workshop had been for me! Will see you guys again soon, happy twisting! =)

In the afternoon, I went to Richard’s place to make a balloon dress for her daughter Celia, in the presence of David, who rendered advice and help. It took me around 3 hours to finish up the dress but I couldn’t stay to put it on for her because I was going to Mel’s party at night. Therefore I had to leave it to David to settle the rest.

Thereafter, I attended Mel’s party and most of the steppers gang were there. It was at Raffles Town Club,  a cool place for such an event, and the food was great! Happy birthday to Celia and Mel!

On the 11th and 12th of February, Desmond and rented a stall at the NUS bazaar to do some Valentine’s Day sales. As 14th Feb falls on the 1st day of Chinese New Year, we figured this was the next best alternative. For this, we figured out some new ideas and creations as can be seen from the pictures. Personally, I played around with stuffing the soft toys into the balloons and the response was not too bad. Desmond’s sunflower was a hot item too! Despite the disappointing sales on day one, we had much fun jamming the whole day. The sales was better on day two due to the support of many friends. You guys rock!

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Earlier this year in January,  I was contactedregarding a personal interview regarding the upcoming valentine’s day special report that she’s put in charge of for Zao Bao Comma, the Chinese Newspaper for students. It was quite a pleasant afternoon jamming then posing with some of my work and sharing with her my understanding of the art. It was published today in the papers today and here’s some sharing.

This is how the print version looks like:

This is how the online version looks like:

http://www.zbcomma.sg/zbcomma/pages/10dh06xx1.html

Despite the heavy workload on Saturday, I was going to make another  balloon dress on Sunday for Candy’s 21st Birthday party. She’s a friend of Glen’s and her sister had requested for us to make for her something special. I made the dress using the same base, while completely changing the outer flourish. The big blossom in the middle of the chest is an inspiration from a fashion magazine I read years back. I’m quite satisfied with the final product and proudly say that I now can handle the basics of balloon dress-making.

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Was at Tampines West CC on Saturday to help Glen with a children’s event. My role was simple – one balloon dress up for parade. It was quite similar to the previous design but I experimented with another colour scheme. Jocelyn and Jastina had been very helpful in the process of making the dress. Next time two of you should try it out yourselves.

Here are some photos.

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29th Aug was a big day for many of us. To me, it was my first time making a balloon dress, and as if to make it harder for me, I was to do it outdoors, right under the blazing sun. This event took quite a while of preparations and concluded in success after a series of drama.

Wednesday – Went to David’s place to finalise the design and to meet Givan, who would be wearing the dress I’m making.

Thursday – Borrowed David’s mannequin and had a bit of practise to make sure the proportions are right.

Friday – Suffered a bad fall from handball and my whole left wrist is swollen. Rushed to the Accidents and Emergency department in NUH and took an X-Ray. The doctor confirmed that the bones were ok and encouraged me to as much as possible move my wrist so that the swell clears faster.

Saturday – Woke up in the morning, none of my fingers could move at all. Swollen like crap and hurt like no other. I called Glen and said I won’t be making the dress but will be there to see. Then I caught a cab and got on my way to Takashimaya. On they way, I kept rubbing my hand and wrist. By the time I reached there, I could, with extreme pain, move the fingers on my left hand, but the movement was very limited. So I watered down some painkillers and started working on the dress. I had a lot of help from Jocelyn and Jessica for the entire process, Joanne also came in the later part and helped me out. Initially I couldn’t even get a balloon tied, soon the pain became numbness or should I say the painkiller was working and I could carry on without much difficulty. After 4 painful hours (literally), the dress is done and I think it looks great!

After making the dress, it is also necessary to make a wand or sceptor or something along that line (you know what I’m sayin) for the girl to hold. Otherwise it’d be very awkward because she won’t know where to put her hands. LOL.

Gabriel also made a balloon dress, which was worn by Irene. He’s the guy who got me started in balloon twisting.

It was a great day and although I was totally shagged out, I left the place with an immense sense of satisfaction and a beautiful page in my portfolio.

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