Oh I love her CD You Live Once. Especially track #5, "Make It Go Away". I've played it on repeat mode countless times, just because the emotions are so raw & real. The songs on her album speak straight to my heart, and I adore her sultry voice.
Well, I'm talking about Tan Su-Ming (or Su as she prefers to be called). She was my guest in The Living Room today, this "skinny girl with a fat voice". If you listen to her, you'll not be able to tell that singing is but her hobby. She sounds like a recording artist.
But Su is no recording artist. In fact, far from it! She's a medical doctor. And a full-time practising GP at that, running her own clinic in the East.
Well, Feng Zhu is grabbing a couple of friends from LA to come by this weekend to share their portfolios in a masters showcase at the Asian Civilisations Museum. These guys have worked on projects like Transformers, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Avatar. You can rub shoulders with them, shoot them questions, and catch them doing a 'live' demo. Here's more:
But Su is no recording artist. In fact, far from it! She's a medical doctor. And a full-time practising GP at that, running her own clinic in the East. A doctor with a powerful gift. I was terribly excited to share her music with 938LIVE listeners today because I felt I was revealing a precious hidden gem.
In the middle of our chat, I made Su sing 'live' & a capella for us. She chose a song from her upcoming concert, It's Not About Love. And she sang with no accompaniment, just her voice.
The next thing I knew, my big boss Rose appeared through the door of the studio. She had come all the way downstairs to personally compliment Su on her beautiful voice, to shake her hand & pass her her name-card! She even asked Su for her album to play on our station. 'Nuff said?
But how does she juggle being a doctor, mother (her daughter is 7!), and singer? Now that she's living her dream, does she believe working mums who claim they can't find time to pursue their dreams? What are her tips for them?
"When you have a dream or goal that is beautiful or uplifting or edifying or lofty, I believe that the powers that be (whatever your religious persuasions happen to be) will conspire to help you realise it. Stay open, because help or inspiration can come in many forms or guises. They may come in the form of sponsors, or experts in their field who are more than willing to share their expertise, or they may just be your cheerleaders or people who lend support in the form of babysitting to free up time for you. Start somewhere, no matter what your considerations happen to be, no matter how humble or small. Baby steps. Don't be too shy. Sometimes you gotta be a bit thick-skinned. Don't be discouraged if not everyone is a fan of what you do." ~ Su
All I can say is that you have to catch this gem of a woman in concert. Seats are limited, so do get your tickets NOW. Here are the details:
IT'S NOT ABOUT LOVE
10 Jan 2010
8pm
Esplanade Recital Studio
Tickets via SISTIC
You can also grab a copy of her CD, You Live Once, at the Esplanade store. To find out more about Su & her music, click HERE.
Unveiling a precious hidden gem: Singing Doctor Tan Su-Ming.
After Su left, I had another passionate & talented person on The Living Room couch. I have to admit I was very surprised that he was so young! Considering the things he has achieved...
His name is Feng Zhu, and he's an entertainment designer or concept artist. Born & raised in Los Angeles, this American-born Chinese has worked directly with the biggest directors in Hollywood including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron & Michael Bay.
His clients in LA have included Lucasfilm, Warner Brothers, Bay Films... and his recent projects? Well, he was hired as a concept designer for blockbuster movies Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Star Wars Episode III.
Feng Zhu was a concept designer for Hollywood blockbuster movies like Transformers, TMNT & Star Wars Episode III.
If you've watched these movies, you'll get a sense that lots of conceptualisation is involved in the creation of characters & environments. Let's face it, the Transformers characters or Star Wars landscapes (even to the detail of a chair!) don't exist in real life. It's a job that demands creativity & imagination. And this chap has it all.
Meet Feng Zhu [picture above]. He's so young! And I couldn't help but notice the tattoo on his right arm, strategically hidden behind me in this photo. Anyway, prior to the interview, I checked out his portfolio online. Boy, was I impressed! You can view his portfolio HERE.
Well, the cool thing is that despite being invited to set up design schools in various countries, Feng Zhu chose Singapore to be his Asian base. His newly-established school called FZD School of Design opened its doors in July this year, and accepted its first batch of 30 students.
"I'm deliberately keeping it small," he reveals, adding that he's very hand-on in the teaching. "I want to keep the teacher-student ratio to 1:10 or 15."
Entertainment Design Masters Showcase
12 - 13 Dec
12.30pm - 5pm
Asian Civilisations Museum
For tickets, call 6334-9258
* * * * *
CATCH THE REPEAT BROADCAST OF THESE INTERVIEWS:
Tonight, 10pm - midnight, 938LIVE
2am - 3am, Channel NewsAsia.
3 comments:
Thanks for posting Pam, I'm not in Singapore and unfortunately could not find a way to listen to the radio. Is there another method of listening in to a previous radio session I may have overlooked? As always I'd really love to hear any more experiences and words Feng has to share.
Thanks again!
thanks for your comment, gavin! yes feng is amazingly talented, isn't he? are you based in singapore? well, unfortunately there is no way at the moment you can hear a repeat broadcast for free. you can however place an order for the interview but that would incur a fee. :(
Thanks for your reply :) Could you possibly list the price and information about this order for the interview unless you'd like this to be discussed privately?
Thanks Pam!
Post a Comment