Goodbye Wah!Banana

How It All Begin

One year just flew by like that. In such a short period of time, I have done and experienced so many things. So many things that changed my life in ways that I would never expect. 

Slightly more than a year and a half ago, I graduated from NUS with a degree that didn't give me much confidence. I knew the laboratory wasn't a place for me, I absolutely cannot fit into that environment. It was just so... not me. The young and ignorant me decided to seek out job opportunities in other fields; knowing, at the back of my mind, I wasn't going to find one. 

I was walking around the NUS Career Fair and a booth caught my eye. It was a company that I am familiar with because I played games with my then-boyfriend on their platform. I walked up, curious to know what they had to offer, leaving my resume with them, not expecting anything. But then they called me back.

I took up the job offer. The pay was decent and the environment seemed chill. I was to help the director with managing the eSports scene or so I was told. Within weeks, I got transferred to the production team. The team that was in charged of making product videos on YouTube for the company, and it was there, I made friends that I know will last a lifetime. 

The Teamwork

We were working on a series of product-related videos for the company's channel that were doing relatively all right. So the management decided to try something different, something that can target a wider and more general audience. So we were tasked with the duty of starting and growing a new comedy channel to eventually use it as a marketing platform for their products, and so we did.

Wah!Banana was created. The name was designed to sound local and yet fun at the same time. It was a fantastic name. The videos were designed to be relatable and ridiculous. It was a success. It started a whole new trend on the SG/MY YouTube scene, everyone was doing a list format video. We were ecstatic.

We were an extremely organised team. Aaron was the overall in charged. He managed the channel and was the brain behind the scripting and editing directions. Jason would be in charged of filming and editing the videos. I was in charged of managing the social media platforms and props. Elliot was still a student and he would drop by to help us with the filming and acting. 

It was the teamwork and the creative brains of Aaron that brought the channel to a whole new level. We wrote, direct, act, edit and market the videos. We did everything without any prior skills or knowledge on video production. We observed, researched, asked and learnt as we went along. The willingness to learn and the acknowledgement that we don't know everything were what drove us to strive for the better. 

Things Didn't Work Out

Everything went well for a long time. We were preoccupied with growing the channel until we realised that we weren't able to grow it anymore. We realised that it was not going to be possible because the channel was simply not meant for that, it was built solely for marketing purposes. 

The interest of the company and our interests weren't on the same page. Talks didn't turn out as expected. They made no effort to retain us. We knew then, we had to leave. 

And so we did.

We knew we had to leave because there was no progression if we were to stay. Aaron, Elliot and I are constantly striving for improvement and progression, we knew we wouldn't be happy staying. It is really painful letting go of something that we had spent so much time and effort on. The channel was our baby, we worked so hard on it yet we own absolutely no part of it. We had no control of how the channel would grow. 

The Future

Letting go was tough, in fact we still find it extremely difficult to accept that we are no longer a part of it. Yet at the end of the day, we know it is the right choice. Now we are free to start our own channel, and actually own it and to be able to decide the course of its journey and growth. We never felt more motivated. 

We know the fans are upset and disappointed that we are no longer a part of Wah!Banana, so are we. I don't know the plans for Wah!Banana's future but I know ours. We are setting up a new channel to do what we do best, entertain. I sincerely hope that if you enjoy the videos that we have produced so far, you would jump onboard the new channel as a subscriber, a viewer and the most importantly, as a friend. 

My Imperfect Body

Ever since Wah!Banana became popular, almost every one of the cast begin to observe changes in our lives. The most prominent is adapting to being seen as a public figure.

As much as we enjoy acting, I can assure you that we are very private people. We started the channel because of passion and work, certainly not fame. In fact,  none of us expected our work to grow to this size. The fame and public recognition came as a surprise to us and until this very day, I don't think any of us has grasp the extent of it.

Being seen as a public figure has made me realized something, I am physically imperfect. Well, it is not to say that I had previously thought that I was perfect, but I certainly didn't pay that much attention to my body as I do now. I would just go about my life as per normal, not really concerned if my complexion was bad or I was flabby. I ate what I want, say what I want and do what I want. It is different now.

Being a nobody has it's perks. I can leave the house in my shorts and washed-out old T-shirt with my dirty flip-flops, in my clean but makeup-less face. I can laugh out loud whenever I'm out with my friends. I can curse and complain on social media without drastic repercussions. Being a nobody has the freedom that I am starting to miss.

A nobody doesn't have to deal with nasty and mean comments about my body on the internet. People commenting that I am fat, too skinny, ugly, flat, short etc. I am glad that I'm not a vain person. These comments may be nasty but they don't bother me, because I know there is no one out there who is perfect.

So what if that's what people think of me? I am comfortable in my own skin. Whenever I am lazy (which is quite often), I will still leave the house in old clothes and no makeup. Interestingly, people still recognize me. I guess I should be happy.

The media has painted a terrible picture in defining beauty, influencing our view of it. Cosmetic surgery, expensive clothing, branded accessories, thick makeup etc. People come in all shapes, colors and sizes but media has created a single definition of beauty that is grossly inaccurate. Where has the natural and healthy beauty gone?

More and more people are turning to changing their looks to gain confidence. I do agree that looking good can make one more confident but how do you define 'good looking'? Does having a straight nose make you 'good-looking'? Does having large eyes make you 'good-looking'? Maybe that's what the media tells you. I think looking healthy with a dose of confidence is what makes you look good.

It doesn't matter if you have a birthmark or small eyes or crooked nose, I will find you attractive if you are confident with a glowing personality. Nothing beats that.

Stop chasing that superficial beauty. You are beautiful as you are.

During my MIA period

Sorry for the long long long long delay! I know I haven't been blogging for some time. As usual, my excuse is that I'm really busy. >.< No time to sit down in front of my computer to write.

ANYWAY, I'm Back! Yeah!

Just in case you are wondering what I've been up during this period of me "missing in action", I will be telling you guys all about it here!

Met the Malaysians

In early September, I made a trip down to Kuala Lumpur for a short holiday and to meet up with my Malaysian friends. Of course, I wouldn't miss out the awesome food in Malaysia. I ate so much, I swear I put on weight. It was just eating everyday.

Karena is so beautiful, isn't she?

This amazingly talented guy, Ming from The Ming Thing.

And his crazy brother, Ming Yue. This guy has the same "frequency" as me, I swear. 

So Aaron and I did a short video collaboration with the crazy Ming brothers and the response from the viewers was FANTASTIC! (Watch it here: http://youtu.be/mPCXixIY2kw)  We are always so in awe of how talented these brothers are and always felt that they deserve more recognition. Subscribe to them if you haven't!

Filming in progress!

I totally blended into the couch.

Rachel's Bali Wedding

So one of my childhood friend, Rachel got married. She held her wedding in Bali, so all of us flew over and this must be one of the most eventful overseas trip I ever had. 

The villa that I was staying was AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, ROMANTIC, RELAXING etc.... I thought I died and went to heaven. I was a princess.

Look how big the villa is!

The design of my room is so... kampong.

The girls and me at the villa private pool. It faces the sea!

Taken at our villa garden!

Mee Goreng prepared by my in-house chef. Yes, I have a chef in my villa whose job is just to make sure I don't go hungry.

Dinner on Jimbaran Beach!

The sea view and constant sound of waves made the entire wedding unbelievably beautiful and romantic.

Congratulations Rachel & Dan!

The ladies in white.

Dinner table was so prettily set up but my name...

Hand me a fan and I'll camwhore with it. LOL

Well, the trip didn't end as beautiful as it started. Many people got down with food poisoning and ended up puking non-stop or shitting non-stop. I was surprisingly all right. I ate everything that everyone else ate. I don't think I was lucky, it's more like my stomach is made of steel or something. Chinese people will say that I'm really 肮脏吃肮脏大 (Growing up dirty so the body is used to contaminated food). 

The other thing that pissed all of us off is the stupid budget flight that we were scheduled for. They kept changing the flight dates and times without informing us. It was a good thing we checked the airline and airport websites to keep ourselves updated because we almost couldn't come back! I am not going to say which shitty airline it is (Hint: animal) but I'm not going to patronize that airline anymore! Hmph! 

Shopping Deals #1

It's been some time since I went shopping and actually bought something for myself rather than plain window shopping. I know what you're thinking, "Aren't you a girl? Don't girls just love shopping?"

Yes, I do love shopping but I'm a little quirky. I like shopping on my own, without any influence from others and not having to waste time waiting for people. I walk into whichever store I want to and buy whatever I want to. It's not that I don't enjoy shopping with others, I don't mind accompanying my friends to shop but if I want to do proper retail therapy, nothing beats having the entire day dedicated to my own shopping.

Floral shades. Another one of my buys while I was out shopping alone. <3

Precisely because I'm such a loner when it comes to shopping, I love online shopping. I can take my time to browse through catalogs, be as indecisive as I want, no shopping bags to carry around and most importantly, I get to lie on my bed to shop. Life of a princess. LOL

So I was just browsing the internet the other day and came across this website which sells customized gifts. I've been looking for a new iPhone cover because mine is really ugly. It's like rubbery and red, incredibly durable but just plain fugly.

This is what I got in the end. An iPhone 5 cover with changing LED color lights. I know it's kinda cheesy but hey, I never need to worry about losing my phone in a crowded club. The back of the cover even has my personalized design with my name. Damn cool, isn't it?

Prettiest iPhone cover to date. Because I designed it. LOL

That's not all. I got intrigued by the online store and started browsing even more and I ended up getting one of this too!

It's a personalized color changing mug. Basically the mug changes color depending on the temperature of the liquid within it.

It's Foxy's MUG! Hands OFF!

I know you must be wondering which interesting website this is. Here you go: www.d-yourself.com or you can call them directly 93661293. And the best thing is I have the discount code! Just code 10percentoff and you get... yes, you are right! 10% discount! :D

Do Your Part, Save the Sharks

I am from a traditional Chinese family thus I grew up mainly on Chinese cuisine. Even the "western food" that I had, tasted very oriental. It wasn't until I was able to afford to eat out on my own at restaurants, did I taste real European food (more or less).

I was always excited when my family gets invited for wedding dinners. I get to hang out with the brides in pretty gowns and imagined myself in those exquisite white gowns, like a little princess. Of course, nothing was more tantalizing than the dinner itself. My parents knew that I love sharks' fin soup and will always give up theirs for me. I can have like 5 bowls of it at a single dinner. That was how much I love sharks' fin soup.

Oh my god! Just looking at this makes me damn hungry!

People who never tried sharks' fin soup will not understand the awesomeness of it. That thick chicken broth with tons of crab meat and shitake mushrooms in black vinegar. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

What about the most crucial ingredient of that dish, sharks' fin? Well, I never really notice the fins while eating but I knew that it's somewhere inside that soup since it's named after it...... right? The truth is that the only people who seemed to be concerned whether or not there was sharks' fin in there, were my parents and relatives. They would take a mouthful of the soup and without fail, discuss if the sharks' fin in the soup was real or of low quality. If it was fake or low quality (I never understand how you determined if the sharks' fin was of good quality or not), they would make faces and talk about how cheapskate the newly-wed couple was.

I know what you're thinking, but this is the mindset of a typical Chinese from my parents' generation. It was not so much about how delicious the dish tasted, it was about the "face" value. Food like abalone, sharks' fins etc have always been highly regarded in the Chinese society because they were expensive or it was the favourite food of some emperor from some dynasty who is already dead for centuries. Yes, my mum is still telling me things like that to make me eat some weird-smelling veggies.

Admit it. You never really notice the sharks' fin in the soup. That "important and expensive" ingredient never contributed to the yummy-ness of the dish. If I replaced it with vermicelli, you would likely not even notice the difference.

Then there is my dad who has some serious misunderstandings with the poor sharks. I honestly don't know what those poor little things ever did to my dad. When I told him that I am against finning, he told me not to be stupid and fall for those stupid propaganda. He said sharks are dangerous and evil, they attack people maliciously. They should be hunted down until they're extinct. ......

Aiyo... This little thing looks so cute. How can anyone bear to kill it?!

I am sure there are many people out there who think of sharks in the same manner as my dad. I guess Steven Spielberg did a wonderful job, perhaps too good, for the movie "Jaws". Now almost everyone is scared of sharks and think that they are some senseless, hungry monsters that love chomping down on humans. If I am a shark, the last thing I would want to eat is a human. Humans are meatless, bony and full of yucky stupidity. At least ikan bilis is fried and not as stupid.

Sharks are important for the marine ecosystem. They are at the top of the food pyramid so they are in charge of keeping the population of the other marine creatures in check. Sharks feed on the animals in the middle of the food pyramid, so if they are gone, the population of these animals will explode, leading to the depletion of the population of the animals at the bottom of the food chain. Confusing? Not really. Just know that if there are no sharks, the marine ecosystem will collapse.

You may think, that's not my problem, it doesn't affect me if the marine ecosystem collapse. Well, that's where you're wrong. You eat seafood, right? If the marine ecosystem collapse, you may no longer have some of your favourite seafood any more.

This is so cruel and unnecessary.

Love your seafood? Then stop killing sharks.
Want to see sharks at your next diving trip? Then stop killing sharks.
Care for your future generations? Then stop killing sharks.

I have pledged to stop eating sharks' fins. Have you? https://www.sharksavers.org/en/our-programs/i-m-finished-with-fins/get-active/take-the-pledge/

Weird Messages That I Received

I have a Facebook page which has a decent number of followers. I update it regularly though not as regularly as my Instagram and Twitter. Among the different social media platforms that I am active on, I have the most messages and comments on my Facebook page.

The awesome thing about those messages and comments that I get is knowing that there are many people out there who are concerned about me and the channel. When I posted about my flu, there were numerous people who left incredibly sweet messages for me, wishing me well. People also enjoy leaving me suggestions for future videos which I really appreciate. It really pleased me to know how much our work has impacted people's lives. 

However some messages rendered me speechless, I don't even know how to reply to those messages. Messages are different from how you speak to a real person in REAL LIFE. It is absolutely normal to say hi to a person in real life but it's super weird when you just send a message with just 2 letters without the slightest indication of the purpose of the message. You don't send out an email with just "Hi" right? I thought it's only appropriate to state your purpose of the message after saying hi. Sometimes I get messages like that:

A: Hi

Me: Hi

A: Hi :)

WHAT?! It's already weird enough that you didn't state your purpose and you just said hi again? In cases like that, I would stop replying because I suspect it may be a never ending trap. 

These are more examples: 

It was really tough trying to figure out what this person was saying because it wasn't in proper English. I guess this person wanted me to shout out to his friends? But I had no idea who these friends are and what kind of shout out this person wants me to do. 

It's really weird to ask me to do something when I don't know him. And worse of all, I barely have a clue about what he wants from me. Just too weird. 

OK. This is another one of those non-English message. I only managed to identify about 15 English words out of the entire message? So I guessed this person meant: 

Hi Miss Foxy, can I ask you a question? Are you a peranakan chinese? Because you look like my ????? from ????? And lastly ???? your guy can make some videos about peranakan. 

I am not a grammar nazi. (That's Aaron and Elliot.) I don't even proclaim to have perfect English. But reading messages or comments with obvious grammar and spelling errors is going to give me a stroke sooner or later.

THIS IS THE WEIRDEST. Did he think I was part of a dating agency?! I know this is mean but I laughed at the absurdness of this message. He concluded that I was an honest and sincere woman from going through my Facebook page? AND concluded that I was the one? How?! 

After receiving numerous messages in weird English, I decided to give this person the benefit of the doubt and trust that he wasn't being rude, but just has really bad command of the language. I decided that he was asking me which country I am from instead of the exact location because that will be incredibly creepy. Name u? I guess he was asking me for my real name and not screen name. 

Reading the comments and messages on YouTube and Facebook forced me to come to a conclusion. One that I wish that I would never have to make. People have serious EQ problems.

Best App Ever

So I was just browsing Facebook a while back and I came across this incredibly entertaining video posted by my friend.

This video is actually an ad to promote Durex's latest iPhone app. My initial reaction was disbelief. Seriously?! A condom delivery app?! I thought it was just a joke. But curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go check it out at the app store. And this is what I found:

OH MY GOD! It's real! So apparently this is how it works, you identify your location and then select the product you want. It will then be delivered to you within an hour. How innovative is that?! It's like ordering MacDonalds! 24 hours delivery even! *Only available in Dubai*

No, in case you're wondering if I'm promoting Durex or condoms. I just found this marketing strategy really interesting. I always admire the marketing teams of companies that sells products which are not so socially accepted such as condoms and sanitary pads. It's really tough for them but many have created awesome ads such as this:

A good marketing team can make an all right product seem god-like and influence public's perception of it. The power of marketing. Never underestimate it. 

LoL 2nd Anniversary

As some of you may know, I am currently working in Garena Singapore, an online gaming publisher. People often mistook me as a GM (game master), honestly I can't really blame them. This is a common misconception that everyone who works at a gaming company is a GM. There are many other things that one can do in gaming company such as finance, management, operations etc.

The crazy crowd at Bugis+.

Cosplayers Lulu and Annie. 

Anyway that's not the main topic for my post today. I was at the Garena LoL 2nd Anniversary held at Bugis+ yesterday. And THE CROWD WAS INSANE. More than 5,000 people registered for the freebies, way more than the Garena Carnival which is supposed to be the biggest annual Garena event. Totally unexpected. Like what the Garena Stadium manager said, it was like attending the IT Fair. We had expected a decent crowd but not THIS MANY PEOPLE. This goes to show that despite being in Singapore for only 2 years, League of Legends has really gained a large following.

Sad that I can't join the fun because I'm stuck in the production room. 

Even though I may be a familiar face on YouTube, I am actually quite shy. I was trying to hide from the crowd the entire day. Okay, that's a lie. I was actually in charged of the productions so I was in the production room almost throughout the entire event, controlling what goes on and off the screens.

Many of you came by to take pictures with Aaron and me which was totally cool. We were happy to know that so many of you enjoy and love our videos. It inspires us to make better videos in future. I am perfectly fine with people coming forward to ask for pictures and autographs but I am kind of creeped out by people who just stands around and gawk. Really, it's very creepy. Or people who walk passed me and just shout "Foxy!" and when I turned around, I have no idea who just called me. Is this a game? Because it's not fun and I don't want to play this game. Be cool and come up to say hi. We don't bite.

Acting VS. Reality

Look at the number of pills I have to pop! OMG! 

Since I am home today due to sick leave, I shall write another post.

As some of you may have known, Wah!Banana recently collaborated with YouTubers from Malaysia and Singapore such as DanKhoo Productions, Joseph Germani and N.O.C - Night Owl Cinematics to produce an extremely cool and interactive video.

Watch it here if you haven't! You can choose not to save me, I won't get upset. But of course, why won't you save me, right? LOL. Kidding. :D 

(Oh yes, by the way you need to actually click on the annotations to watch the different endings if you didn't realize that.) 

I was reading some of the comments that were posted about the video as I always do for all of our videos. And I realized that some people fail to differentiate between acting and reality. It's simple, really. What you see in the video is known as ACTING.

As explained by the Oxford Dictionary:

noun

[mass noun]

• the art or occupation of performing FICTIONAL roles in plays, films, or television

It's FICTIONAL. It's not real. It's fake.

In scenes whereby I am being portrayed as naked, people truly believed that I was walking around on set without my clothes on. Or scenes whereby it seems that Aaron and I were being intimate, people believed that we were really having sex. Or scenes whereby I am acting as a couple with either Elliot or Aaron, people believed that we are a couple. REALLY?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

The classic scene of Aaron and I acting intimate in 20 Ways to Break Up.

Hence, I wish to emphasize here that what you see on screen; regardless it being on TV, YouTube, Cinema etc, they are usually fictional unless stated otherwise. And I truly think that it is to your benefit that you do not believe everything you see or hear on the media. Always question and think. Yes, thinking is actually good for you.

First Blog Post!

Yeah! This is my very first post on this blog. You must be wondering why I decided to start a blog all of a sudden. 

It isn't a sudden thought. In fact, I have been wanting to start one for some time, just kinda lazy to get down to doing it. And since I'm stuck at home because of my stupid flu (that also took away my voice and I am going to kill that person who passed me the virus. I just don't know who yet). I'm like thinking, oh what the heck! Just start a blog la! 

Regarding the content of this blog, just one word. ANYTHING. I am just going to post anything that comes to mind. It may be behind-the-scenes of Wah!Banana, stories of my friends, family, dog and of course, my rantings. So if you are here to find out more about the life of the real Foxy, you will not be disappointed! 

Cookie, the cutest dog in the world. LIKE A BOSS.

I will try to post at least once a week. (I'm really busy! >.<)

By the way, I'm feeling immensely handicapped without my voice. I can't even defend myself when insulted. Which happened yesterday when Aaron (aka Djehuty) called me the Queen of Midgets and laughed at my height. #$@%#$%^

*This is kinda rush so I apologize for the fugly design. I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible.