Having been the youngest guest judge ever on The X Factor UK last year and performed most recently at the annual Royal Variety Performance, graced by the British royals and her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, 20-year-old Pixie Lott has definitely got a promising future.

Since releasing her first album, Turn It Up, which went double platinum in the UK in 2009, she’s kickstarted her acting career, appearing in Fred: The Movie and is set to star in the 2013 movie, Sweet Baby Jesus, replacing Britney Spears as the young Mary in a role that will see her act with Sam Rockwell and Kim Catrall. Besides launching her exclusive line for young women’s fashion brand Lipsy, she also traded in her luscious blonde locks for a spunkier do and found herself some new man candy.

Her sophomore and latest album, Young Foolish Happy, features collaborations with mainstays in the music scene like soul icon Stevie Wonder and John Legend. In an interview with The Daily Mail, Pixie explained that her naming of the album had been inspired by “Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy” by The Tams – because she felt it was time to bid farewell to her youth.

Photos courtesy of  Graham Finney & Universal Music Singapore.

The first track “Come Get It Now” sets the tone for the album – one which shows a stronger influence by soul music. Other songs like “Stevie On The Radio” which features Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica, “The Thing I Love” and “I Throw My Hands Up” are reminiscent of gospel-esque R&B music from the 60s that will get you snapping your fingers and up on your feet.

One must give props to her producers for getting a legend like Stevie Wonder on board to be in one of her tracks. It’s no secret that Pixie Lott is an ardent fan of his, describing the experience of meeting him in the flesh as “crazy”.

With such a soulful record, it’s good to see that she’s staying true to herself and not blindly jumping on the electro or reggae music bandwagon as in the case of other artistes like Cobra Starship, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez in 2011.

Following the success of her debut single “Mama Do”, this second outing also contains wiggle-worthy dance tracks like her first single “All About Tonight”, which will get you in the mood for a ladies’ night out; and the infectious “Kiss The Stars” which is set to be her third single. The addictive “Uh-ohs” from “Mama Do” can also be heard in “Birthday”, an upbeat snazzy track with unfortunate meaningless lyrics like “Don’t need a party or Barcadi and coke or cake, I get excited when I know that I’ll see you face”, not to mention a redundant swear word.

One of the more promising tracks is “What Do You Take Me For?”, featuring American rapper Pusha T. In an interview with Metro, Pixie revealed that Beyonce’s choreographer had choreographed the dance. These catchy tunes are what save the album, though they’re still not as good as tracks like “Boys and Girls” from her previous album.

Other notable tunes that should deserve more recognition are “Nobody Does It Better” and ballad “You Win” for which John Legend plays the piano.

While there’s no “Gravity” or “Cry Me Out” equivalent on the album, Pixie’s tried to recreate that magic with tracks like “We Just Go On” and “Everybody Hurts Sometimes”, though they’re a little lacklustre.

Despite having a few promising tracks, the album is slightly disappointing and pales beside her first album. It fails to make an impact and is a far cry from the standard of music produced by current female singers dominating the industry, like Adele. Once rumoured to be the next Amy Winehouse, Pixie isn’t living up to expectations with this release despite possessing such a divine voice. Young Foolish Happy lacks meaningful lyrics and the maturity she promised we’d see, notwithstanding the groovy beats.

You won’t hate Young Foolish Happy, but you won’t fall in love with it either. Let’s hope Pixie finds her footing soon and produces another amazing album worthy of following her first one.

Album Details

• Artiste: Pixie Lott
• Album Name: Young Foolish Happy Deluxe Edition
• Rating (out of 5): 3/5
• Language: English
• Genre: Soul/Pop
• Record Label: Mercury
• Release date: Nov 14 2011

Tracklist

1. Come Get It Now
2. All About Tonight
3. What Do You Take Me For? (featuring Pusha T)
4. Nobody Does It Better
5. Kiss the Stars
6. Stevie on the Radio
7. Everybody Hurts Sometimes
8. Dancing on My Own (featuring Marty James)
9. Love You to Death
10. Birthday
11. Bright Lights (Good Life) Part II
12. Perfect
13. You Win
14. We Just Go On

Bonus Tracks

1. Till The Sun Comes Out
2. The Thing I Love
3. I Throw My Hands Up
4. Black As Rain
5. Paper Planes
6. What Do You Take Me For? (Benji Boko Remix)

There’s little not to love when you don’t have to wait or pay for your shots to be processed, or wonder how exactly how your photographs will turn out.

Still, there’s just something especially beautiful about old school photography. With film, you only get limited shots, so you have to ponder over each shot longer. And then there’s the sense of anticipation over how your roll of film will turn out.

Back to the basics

Remember watching the movie Super 8 earlier this year and thinking to yourself, “If only we could still make black-and-white silent films…”? The birth of Lomography in 1991 marked the revival of analogue photography. Famous for producing photos with oversaturated colours and optical illusions like the fisheye effect, Lomographische AG introduced the world to LOMO LC-A+, Diana, Holga and Fisheye cameras, which are often called “toy cameras”. It’s no surprise that they’ve come up with another mind-blowing new product.

Their latest offering, the LomoKino, brings you back to the nostalgic days of silent black-and-white cinematography. Yes, you can finally film your own Charlie Chaplin-esque movie without resorting to any editing software! All you need to do is buy a roll of 35mm film, which costs $5.50 per canister, and pay for the E6 processing at any film developing shop which should set you back around $8.

This handy camera weighs only 92g and works with all types of 35mm film which can be found at any film shop. Measuring only 83.5mm x 36mm, you definitely won’t be complaining about having to lug it around.

To begin, simply load the film and start cranking that handle. That’s right, it’s all manual. The speed you crank the wheel at all depends on you. If you want to pack in more shots, go as fast as you can. But really, it’s not as tiring as it sounds because the handle is so tiny and easy to turn so the hand movement is hardly vigourous. For newbies, the Lomography microsite offers helpful videos with detailed step-by-step instructions on loading the film, using the camera, and post-production that could potentially be a life-saver.

Your video will be of handheld quality (although things improve significantly when you use a tripod) and the focus may be off at times, but isn’t that the beauty of homemade films? Extend the spirit of Lomography to create moving pictures in both senses of the word!

After you’re done directing Charlie Chaplin, you’ll have to get your film processed before you can watch it come alive in the LomoKinoScope. The LomoKinoScope acts as a mini-projector which you can watch your movies on in the most authentically analogue way possible. If you want to digitise your film and upload it to the Internet, some softwares that can help you convert it into 36-to-48-second-long digital LomoMovies are iMovie and Final Cut Pro (for Apple users) and Windows Live Maker (for Windows users).

Price

The LomoKino/LimoKinoScope Package

• LomoKino
• LimoKinoScope
• One Film Canister
• Inventing the LomoKino (Book)
• $158 at Peek!

The LimoKino

• LimoKino
• One Film Canister
• Inventing the LomoKino (Book)
• $128 at Peek!

Rating: 4/5

Tech specifications

• Film type: 35mm film (Costs $5.50 for 36 exposures at Peek!)
• Lens: 25mm
• Exposure area: 24mm x 8.5mm: 144 images/film
• Continuous Aperture: f/5.6 – f/11
• Shutter: 1/100
• Hand Crank: Approx. 3-4 fps, 36-48 sec. movie per roll
• Film counting: Volume display
• Focusing: (Normal) 1m~infinity, (press button for) 0.6m close up
• Tripod mount: Yes

Polaroids: Instant Analogue Gratification

Film photography enthusiasts probably felt like it was the end of the world when Polaroid decided to pull out of the analogue photography business in Feb 2008.

But thanks to Austrian artist and businessman Dr Florian Kaps, these retro cameras and instant film have a new lease of life.

In 2008, he, André Bosman, and Marwan Saba launched The Impossible Project to save the very last Polaroid production plant. They took to reinventing the film and getting it back in production as soon as possible.

Photo courtesy of Peek!

Price: $280 – $300 at Peek!

Tech Specifications

• Model: 600 Series
• Lens: 106 mm
• Focus range: 2 feet – infinity
• Flash range: 2-10 feet
• Maximum Aperture: variable
• Minimum Aperture: f/75
• Shutter Speed range: 1/3 to 1/200th second

A revival of Polaroid’s integral film, the PX 600 SILVER SHADE UV+ BLACK FRAME film gives the traditional white frame a run for its money. Besides the array of colour dyes used for the film’s border, minimal changes were made to the old formula. It still retains its old-school charm and clean-cut, elegant design of Polaroid’s original films.

At the moment, they have 3 types of films to choose from – the Dry Age Kit, Silver Shade, and Colour Shade. They also stock hand-selected expired instant film which is known for its ability to produce unpredicatable yet fantastic effects if you’re lucky. While the film’s results can be slightly volatile, photos generally turn out fine – albeit sometimes a tad washed out at certain areas, producing a dreamy quality that some may embrace. With a little trial and error, the new Polaroid should be a breeze to use.

Photos courtesy of Rachel Chan

Tip: Don’t fan/shake the Polaroid like they do in movies when it comes out from the camera. Instead, lay it face-down on a level surface and let it develop naturally.

The cost of the film is pricey to say the least ($36 for 8 shots) but hey, this company did what was said to be “impossible”, didn’t they?

Price: $36 at Peek!

Tech specifications

• Film Speed: ISO 600/DIN 29, 8 Exposures per cassette
• Type: Monochrome Integral Instant Film.
• Format: 3.5 x 4.2 in. (8.8 x 10.7 cm), Image Area: 3.1 x 3.1 in. (7.9 x 7.9 cm)
• Finish: Glossy
• Development: 3 minutes approximately at 70°F (21°C)
• Special: Black image frame
• Battery: Built in, long lasting battery to power up the camera and flash

As a Christmas special, the Impossible Project has also released an exclusive limited-run ‘Gold Edition’ film, retailing at $42. So pop down to Peek! to get your hands on these intriguing cameras!

More about Peek!

Peek! may have opened only a little more than a year ago, but it’s already left a distinct imprint here. Recently named the official Impossible Project Partner Store for Singapore, this concept store stocks film photography mainstays  like Lomography products, limited edition cameras from Red Army Camera, and other refurbished antique cameras. The 2-storey store in a quaint shophouse also provides film processing services.

Located at: 36 Armenian Street #01-04
Opening Hours: 

• 12 noon-8pm (Tues – Fri)
• 12 noon-7pm (Sat – Sun)

With gorgeous women, extravagant sets, celebrities scattered everywhere, legendary artistes like Nicki Minaj and Maroon 5 performing, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is the most anticipated lingerie show every year. Indeed, it’s “the sexiest night on television”, with one full hour of ogling beautiful models with long gazelle-like legs, strutting down the runway in lingerie.

Alessandra Ambrosio posing in 5th position for the Ballet segment.

This year’s show featured 6 themes. They kicked off the show with a graceful pointe dance sequence for the Ballet section, followed by bright pops of colours and comic-printed capes in Super Angels. The show also included Passion, which seemed to take direction from haute couture designs, and had a touch of Indian influence with lots of beading patterned jewellery, Aquatic Angels, where the girls looked like they walked out of a Barbie movie, and New Orleans boudoir Lolita-esque designs in I Put A Spell On You.

The annual affair cost US $12 million altogether this year, with 38 runway models and 31 pairs of wings specially made.

Sui He

Liu Wen

The 2009 show was a momentous occasion for Asian models when Chinese fashion model, Liu Wen, who has walked for designers like Rodarte and Proenza Schouler, became the first Victoria’s Secret Angel of East Asian descent. This time she was joined by up and coming model, Sui He, who was the face of Ralph Lauren’s Fall Winter 2011/2012 collection earlier this year.

Kanye West and Jay-Z get guests and celebs on their feet.

The long awaited performance by Kanye West, who had been scheduled to perform in 2007 but had to cancel due to his mother’s passing, definitely did not disappoint. Dedicating the song to his late mother, Donda West, he said that she was once his “Superhero” but is now his “Super Angel”. Yeezy (Kanye’s nickname) was later joined by Jay-Z to perform one of their new songs, “Niggas in Paris”.

These voluptuous ladies are definitely “Super Angels”. Look at ex-angel Heidi Klum, Doutzen Kroes and of course, Miranda Kerr for example. It seems that year after year, only these femme fatales can sashay down the runway in lingerie looking absolutely smoking hot even if some of them just gave birth few months ago.

And that’s not all; their angel wings weigh a ton. Rumours are that the heaviest pair of wings this year is almost 14kg.

Every year, there’s always one bra that is encrusted with jewels that are ridiculously expensive. Well, this year, it was bombshell Australian model, Miranda Kerr’s lucky turn to wear the Fantasy Treasure Bra, worth US $2.5 million.

We all remember that “Aww!” moment from the 2007 show where then Victoria’s Secret Angel, Heidi Klum, and her husband, Seal, shared the stage to perform a duet. This year’s must-watch moment was when Maroon 5’s Adam Levine planted a kiss on girlfriend and VS angel, Anne Vyalitsyna’s cheek, after walking down the runway hand in hand.

Alessandra Ambrosio’s Swarovski crystal-studded “Passion Play Wings” from the Passion theme reportedly took 7 years to make.

There has been debate that this year’s angels were a little too skinny. The annual lingerie show used to be about embracing women’s curves, with models like Tyra Banks, Marissa Miller and Gisele Bündchen gracing the runway.

American model, Chanel Iman gained almost 7kg in preparation for this year’s show by drinking protein shakes, working out and having a feast the night before.

Photos courtesy of xinmsn, Getty Images & Reuters.

Too skinny or not, all 38 angels looked their finest in their wings during the show. With so many outstanding moments like the kiss shared between Adam Levine and his beau, this year’s extravaganza is a definite must-watch.

Originally intended as a girls-only workout while walking their dogs with Reebok’s new EasyTone collection, the walk was open to guys as well after organisers heard their pleas to be included.

300 owners and their pups streamed in at mid-afternoon to enjoy the activities Reebok had lined up for them. From temporary stores selling Reebok products to doggy treats to even a game of musical chairs for the canines, there were plenty of programmes for everyone.

Owners and theirs pets showing some photobooth luvin’

Some decided to head down to the photo booth to snap a couple of shots with their friends, family, or pooch as they waited for the event to officially start. Many sought relief from the blazing heat in Popoganda’s delicious popsicles. The frozen desserts company that prides itself on 100% natural popsicles also gave out a complimentary carrot, banana and flaxseed ice pop for pooches to owners who had purchased one for their own consumption.

Noah’s Ark merchandise

Other pop-up stores at the event included Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary, which peddled merchandise to raise funds for rescued animals. For food, there was XOXO & Co. with delectable delights like macarons and chocolate-dipped marshmallows for humans, and mouth-watering meals from Doggiestyle Café.

While most came down to spend a day out with their beloved canines, others were there because of local actress Jesseca Liu. Once named one of MediaCorp’s ‘Seven Princesses’, the Malaysian-born celebrity graced the event as Reebok’s EasyTone Ambassador. All decked out in threads from Reebok, she joined celebrity trainer Dee Dee in a warm-up exercise before kicking off the 1.2km walk.

On your mark, get set, go!

The lean doe-eyed starlet was all smiles throughout the walk. Holding a German Shepherd by the leash, Jesseca chatted with participants at the event. At one point, she even offered the pooch her portable mini-fan when he grew weary and started slowing down. When asked if she had a dog of her own, she said in Mandarin, “I used to have a dog but it died after being bitten by a snake.”

Event helpers were stationed along the route to make sure the pack stayed together and no one wandered off. There were also water points for thirsty dogs and their owners, of course. The 1.2km walk ended right back at the starting point but the fun-filled afternoon didn’t stop there.

Fun and games for everyone

First up, it was musical chairs. The rules of doggy musical chairs were simple: owners led their dogs around in a circle and when the music stopped, the dogs had to step onto the platforms provided and sit down – with coaxing, if necessary, but no physical force on their little tushies was allowed. One by one the dogs were eliminated. It was adorable how some refused to budge even after being kicked out of the game because they had lost. Turns out dogs can be sore losers too.

Over at the frisbee section, dogs leaped into the air as trainers from K9 Kulture tossed the flying discs around. Not every dog was able to catch the discs.

You could hear enthusiastic owners cajoling their pooches to run their fastest in the dog race nearby. There were a few “casualties” along the way, who simply looked dazed and confused when they were let off their leashes and kept glancing at their owners for directions. Then, there were those that sprinted toward the finishing line the moment the race started.

Later in the afternoon, many flocked to the store set up on-site in hopes of getting a photograph or autograph from the long-legged beauty Jesseca.

The last activity for the day was “Dog Yoga” or “Doga”, one that got lots of confused frowns initially. An unfamiliar concept to many, it’s supposed to help dogs find their inner peace and bond owners and their dogs. K9 Kulture trainers took to the stage to lead owners and their dogs in a session of “Doga”, which included relaxing stretches, neck massages, and a nice belly rub.

19-year-old Jason, a visual merchandiser for Adidas, commented, “The event was great. Doga was pretty interesting but I think the dogs were pretty tired from all the running around by then. My favourite activity was the doggy musical chairs. My dog was one of the stubborn ones who didn’t want to leave even after losing during the 3^rd round. I really hope that Reebok comes up with another event like this in the future. Maybe at a location like Siloso Beach!”

These were freshly minted from the FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp, a month-long programme to hothouse women. Founded in 2008, it’s the brainchild of top local DJs Cherry Chan, Debbie Chia, Natalie Tan (a.k.a Pixiedub) and latest addition, graphic designer Pamm Hong.

From left: Natalie Tan (a.k.a Pixiedub), Debbie Chia, Cherry Chan, Pamm Hong.

Photo credits to FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp’s tumblr.

In fact, this year’s boot camp saw 12 instead of the usual 10 participants due to the overwhelming response from 80 applicants. How’s that for turning the (turn)tables on this male-dominated business?

Local DJ maestros like the lady-of-many-talents Ginette Chittick, duo Cosa Nostra, and turntable connoisseur KoFlow were among some of the guest lecturers roped in over the 4 weeks. The girls also got to meet international acts such as French techno whiz Jennifer Cardini, and British dubstep deliverer Ikonika, who dropped in during their last boot camp session.

SYNDICATE resident and Red Bull Music Academy graduate Cherry Chan felt it was important for the girls to learn not only about the technical aspects of DJing, but also the “electronic music eco-system as well”.

She added, “They get a sense of what’s truly going on in the international and local music scene beyond what they can find in magazines and websites. It all affects each other, and we want them to learn from the best which, of course, would include our locally based musicians and DJs with their valuable touring and local gigging experiences.”

Illustration credits to Pamm Hong.

Some of the trés cool girls of the FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp 2011.

Fans of Eileen (Cats on Crack)

With bottles of Heineken in hand, the crowd that included friends, fans and veterans from the industry itself like Jean Reiki and Rafi Dean, gathered at 7pm to watch the girls take over the decks.

Kiyoko Mori

The 1^st FFF kitty, Kiyoko Mori, kicked off the showcase with remixes of popular indie pop songs from artistes like Two Door Cinema Club and Oh Land. But what really got the crowd grooving was one of the best dance songs in the world, “Music Sounds Better With You” by Stardust.

While Kiyoko was focused on getting her first live DJ set right, the other 11 girls were out on the dance floor busting a move and cheering her on.

Rachael Teo

Eileen (Cats on Crack)

Playing a chromatic spectrum of electronic, techno, house, dubstep and even Latin music, the 12 girls definitely kept the groove going, dishing out sonic beats for half an hour each. One would never have guessed that just 4 weeks ago, these girls were absolute DJ ‘noobs’ (newbies, in layman’s terms).

Rachelle (BAY+B)

The crowd really got into it when crowd-pleaser, Rachelle (BAY+B), took over the decks with some disco funk that made you wish you could break out into a funky guitar dance.

Lavinia, also known as DJ Ghurl for the night, felt that it was good that all the FFF girls had diverse styles and taste in music as it could inspire one another to experiment and incorporate a range of influences in their mixes.

Sarah (Soft Serve S)

Opening with the underground sound of electronic artist Scuba, Soft Serve S built up the pace of her house set, layering deeper hypnotic grooves with funkier upbeat ones like Jamie XX’s “Far Nearer”.

Natasha

The FFF felines had obviously bonded well over the 4 Bootcamp sessions. They were extremely supportive of one another’s sets, taking the opportunity to show off their dancing moves as well.

Natasha obviously knew the value of making an impression on the audience: Play something unpredictable. She managed to get the crowd’s attention by weaving in the famous viral internet phenomenon, the Nyan cat (a.k.a Pop Tart cat) tune, into her set.

Sandrine (Lady of the Sistrum)

If you closed your eyes while listening to Lady of the Sistrum’s Berlin tech-house mixes, you’d think you were at Germany’s Love Parade or an underground rave with strobe lights flashing everywhere. Sporting a short pixie haircut, she could easily be mistaken for Elly Jackson, one half of electropop duo La Roux, or Polish model, Anja Rubik.

Fiona FFINN’s electro remixes of chart-topping hits like “Save The World” by Swedish House Mafia and LMFAO’s latest release, “Sexy and I Know It” got show-goers up on their feet bopping their heads or singing along.

Lavinia (DJ Ghurl)

REN

Photos courtesy of Rachel Chan.

DJ Ghurl and REN sent the audience into a salsa frenzy with their insanely rhythmic Latin and funk music. Spinning songs by Ricky Martin and even Jamiroquai’s big 90s hit “Cosmic Girl”, they made everyone feel like doing a samba. REN took it up a notch, meshing breakbeats into her set.

Wrapping up the graduation bash was Saigon Kat with some dubstep. Her set was full of heart-bursting bass lines that were in danger of making one go into a cardiac arrest.

All in all, the FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp 2011 girls put on a fabulous show that night, and their infectious enthusiasm for music was impressive. Tifen, one of the “cheerleaders” there that night, enthused, “Honestly, if you were just walking past Wine Bar and had no idea that this event was going on, you would’ve thought these girls were real DJs. They look the part and they’ve definitely got the skills. The crowd was really into it. I was expecting it to be a chill sitting-down-on-the-couch affair but most of the people there were dancing along. Kudos to the girls!”

They have the organisers to thank for paving their way into the world of DJing – with the guidance of veteran industry players, the support of a bangin’ venue in the local club scene and energy levels were boosted by cupcakes and giggles… Girls just wanna have fuh-unnn!

Look out for the next FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp that will be happening around the same time next year!