www.lunar.sg

Lunar is an Asian-themed bar that regularly belts out catchy chinese songs at The Cannery, Clarke Quay. Boasting a star-studded array of singers and having played host to numerous international artistes, Lunar sports a remarkable history that defines its position in the nightlife scene. The key concept behind the website is to bring forth the 'live' atmosphere of the bar and let the users feel the vibe of the place without being present physically. This is the first time I am handling the concept, design and programming aspects of the site so there is an extra sense of satifaction upon the completion of the site.

Housed in a 15,000 square feet venue, Lunar is reminiscent of an art gallery with more than 150 pieces of contemporary Chinese pop art showcased amidst the more familiar icons of the Asian culture like goldfish lanterns and handcrafted birdcages. The visual treat is further enhanced by a backdrop of wall to ceiling hand-painted Chrysanthemums and tasteful nude art on the ceiling to tantalize one's eyes. For those who prefer a bit of privacy, enclaves of Shanghai art decor plush and intimate lounges will offer the desired cozy comfort.

The main page sports a dynamically driven events calendar and a chat box for all to leave messages.

Artistes page. Will have more stuffs to come in the near future. Watch this space!

The number of rows in the Updates page is decided by the height of your browser window.

Individual photos are aligned in hexagonal fashion that mirrors oriental motifs.

The Wall of Fame layouts the items according to your browser size.

Lastly, the site lets you choose what music and video to play.

Fail to plan and plan to fail

So

Plan your work and work your plan

Dray, Antz, Ben and me each did an artwork for this month's Zirca's weekly flyer. The theme for the month is shapes and Dray has released his circles flyer last week and my triangles flyer will be up next! The style is leaning towards sci-fi with particular influence from Star Wars. This is my first time doing flyer and I certainly hope to have more chances in the future. The actual flyer has orange peel and spot UV finishing on it. You'll be able to see numerous triangles flying towards the main subjects of the artwork. Mockup as shown below:

I definitely wasn't that hardworking to place the triangles one by one. One good thing about being a web designer is the ability to do workaround unique to our skillset. The triangles randomly placed via a simple flash script and there should be roughly 450 triangles in the artwork. Hopefully, I will get to share more artworks in the future!

The time has come again.

It's the time when your phone can't match up to primary school kids.
It's the time when you see the kopitiam uncles become cooler than you.
It's the time when your friends exclaim, "Wah this phone still exist ah!"
It's the time when museum curators approach you to donate the phone to their museums.

Wow, mobile blogging!!!!11

... Right. That's my current phone. Ok, maybe I have over-dramatized but the point is my phone is really old. My dad changed it for me when I was still serving NS. Back then the telcos are weeding out stupid 2G SIM card users (like me) who still haven't upgrade their SIM cards. They threw in a promotion to upgrade it for free and bundled it with a lousy free phone on a 2-year plan. I was actually reluctant for the upgrade because I was a year away from ORD so upgrading means I will be tied to the plan a year into civilian life... which did happen. You might say "Hey, there are always early upgrade offers!" While that's true, I am not a mobile freak and definitely not a fan of paperwork. I guess you must be surprised that a technophile like me doesn't use much of a phone but that's because I am surrounded by computers most of the time and most of the mobile tasks were replaced by my iTouch.

In any case, my current mobile plan will be ending in a couple of months time. However, today finding a new phone can be a major headache because of the myriad of models out there. In view of that, I am putting on my thinking cap (whoa finally!) in my quest for a new phone. The idea is simple: To get a phone that complements my lifestyle based on my current tech gear.

I have been a simple phone user in the sense that I don't call or sms much. I am also not concerned about camera qualities since I have an LX3 (definitely can't beat that muhahaha) and I don't forsee myself treating it like an MP3 player since I have an iTouch. The one thing that I need is good mobile internet access and a decent web browser. Currently I can only tap onto WiFi with iTouch and it doesn't load flash! I will also want a nice sleek looking phone that doesn't look too complicated. Lastly, being an interactive designer means I need to be constantly updated with the newest interactive innovations so there should be a constant flow of new apps for me to use.

Some technical requirements:
HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) for internet access
WLAN (Wireless LAN) for internet access
Expandable Memory (SD/microSD Card) for extra data backup
WVGA Display (Wide Video Graphic Array) for web surfing and using apps

My preference is leaning towards touch-screen phones. They have bigger screens, sleek & clean exteriors and more user-friendly at web surfing as well as gives more room for interactive creativity when it comes to apps. However I am also aware that it's harder to type on a touch-screen phone in the absence of a physical keyboard but most sources (friends & articles) say it's a matter of getting used to. As an owner of an iTouch, I haven't had much issues with an onscreen keyboard. Another criticism is the phone is will be practically worthless should the screen spoils; with any other phones (clamshell, candybar, etc) you will still be able to make/accept phonecalls. Well I don't make much calls and all the phones I used before are still working now so the probability is pretty low.

My source is from asia.cnet.com because I find the contents reliable with comprehensive reviews from the editors and numerous input from users. Without further ado, let me present my findings:

	HTC Touch Pro2 CNet Rating: 7.7 Users Rating: 8.7 Likes: Qwerty keyboard, lots of cool features & 3.6" display Dislikes: Thick, big, fat, heavy!
	Nokia N97 CNet Rating: 6.7 Users Rating: 7.8 Likes: 32GB onboard memory & a qwerty keyboard. Great preinstalled programs that I will use. Dislikes: Unstable, dated S60 software; unexciting design
	Samsung Omnia II CNet Rating: 7.7 Users Rating: 7.7 Likes: Task switcher to optimize performance. Massive 3.7" display. Dislikes: Interface and supporting programs issues; no stylus slot when the phone needs it. Prone to smudges.
	Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 CNet Rating: 8.4 Users Rating: 7.8 Likes: Qwerty keyboard, nice design Dislikes: Complicated, slow interface, poor battery life

Anyways my phone contract will end in roughly 3 months' time so I am also going to include upcoming models in the list below:

	Nokia N97 Mini No info at the moment.
	Nokia N900 Designed to surf web and good processing speed.
	Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 Looks promising, hopefully, it's much better than X1.

All in all, I have only managed to shortlist 7 models which I deem promising to buy. Each phone has its own pros and cons and it seems like everyone has mixed opinions on every phone. However, I have noticed the same issues like battery life, interface and lagness across all phones. I guess I will be deciding which phone to buy based on its flaws! I still have about 2 months left in my contract and should be finalizing on a phone based on the list above. Well but then again, should you have any good phones to recommend, do let me know!

www.mulligans.sg

Mulligan's is a new outlet opened in the Cannery stretch of Clarke Quay. It's a Irish-themed pub/restaurant and regularly holds various live sports screenings.For those who wanna catch EPL and party afterwards, you guys have a new outlet! Finished the website within 8 working days and it's also dynamically driven by my custom CMS in PHP. Yes, if you check the date, its launch date is 8 working days after Zirca's site relaunch.

"Ceol, Caint Agus Craic" - music, conversation and good fun often fueled by alcohol. That's where you get your authentic Irish culture fix, with the original Mulligan's that makes you feel right at home when you enter its inviting, warm and rustic interior that is reminiscent of a traditional Victorian-era pub.

Authentic Irish bric-a-brac, antique Guinness, Irish liquor posters, artwork and photos adorn the wall to complete the quaint Irish charm. At Mulligan's, sports enthusiasts can get together to enjoy the camaraderie and view exciting games with the numerous plasma television and projection screens placed around the bar, while chomping down hearty Irish steak and Guinness pie and Irish stew, enjoying ice-cold, fresh pints of Irish Kilkenny's, Guinness and Irish Cider, or sipping the favourite Irish whiskey of choice.

For those with a love for Irish music and pop culture, authentic live Irish music performances with resident Irish musicians will keep the bar goers company weekly from Thursdays to Saturdays. Replacing the former Fashion Bar premises, Mulligan's is set to rock Clarke Quay as its very first Irish bar to enhance the multi-cultural offerings that pull in locals and tourists alike.

www.zirca.sg

Zirca is a major outlet and has hosted numerous acts and events. The task to revamp the site is arduous because of the sheer scale of contents. As always, the website comes with a host of unique features. Worked with Joanna to redesign the website, and of course gotta thank everyone else who gave input and helped us along the way.

Home to Singapore's most talented DJs and the perfect setting for mindblowing sets by international DJs, ZIRCA is set to push the boundaries of a modern-day dance club.

This new giant which opened in Nov 2008 at The Cannery (Clarke Quay), has also played host to early hour shows and concerts for global superstars such as Craig David & Datarock.

Brace yourself for unadulterated audio-visual bliss every night with headbanging music ranging from electro to house, progressive and trance, accompanied by stunning visuals - The perfect concoction for a great night out!

Main Page. Rollover the individual grids to show various upcoming events and promos.


Updates. Shows various updates on the what's on in our club. Can be sorted to show contents under various parameters.
Lots of contents.


Gallery. Coverage of our past acts through the year. More contents.


Every album is filled with an insane amount of photos. Yes, even more contents.


In the fullsize view, you can click the tiny arrows or photo above/below the current photo to navigate through the album easily. Alternatively, you can mouse scroll to do the same thing. You can also quickly jump to any other album by bringing up albums menu through clicking the 'ALBUMS' button on the right.


Every photo comes with its own tagging system where you can leave comments by tagging it. If you like the photo so much that you wish to share with your friends, you can share it on Facebook by clicking the 'FACEBOOK' button on the left.


There's no better way to spread the love than Facebook.


Wall of Fame. Various people and organizations who have worked with us. Contents contents contents!

The features I have mentioned are just some of the features that I found interesting to share with you. There are actually a lot more intelligence behind and at times I found myself wondering if I have been making a robot rather than a website.

Every knowledge begs a hundred more.

Designed by Antz. Many thanks to all my colleagues & friends who helped me in a way or another :)

www.rebel.sg