The Other Side Of Me

Hello! If you’ve been lurking around my blog then you probably know by now that I’m a wife and a mom and have often times talked about my family and my being a full time mom and homemaker. But if you’ve been wondering what I do aside from these two daily roles that I play then you’re in for a treat. Sabeeeh?

For starters You can check out my About page. I can say that I am a lucky girl, no I wasn’t born with a silver spoon but I can say that I’ve worked hard to get what I need and sometimes have spare to spend it on what I want. Of course hardwork is accompanied by good, kind and supportive people who have sprinkled their fairy dust to help me in my “mission impossible” moments.

I work as a model, in the real world we are often times called to as talents. There I said it. Honestly, I’m not really confident every time people ask me what I do for a living. Why? Because I always feel like I wasn’t cut for the job. It was actually my sister who started in the modeling industry. I remember chaperoning whenever she had a shoot until eventually one of her agents asked me to try it out, I thought they were joking! Eventually I gave it a try. I tell you it wasn’t easy.

People always thought that being a model is a glamorous job. That it’s all easy and fun. What they don’t know is what’s behind the scene and what’s happening in between. What happens before being booked on a runway show, before getting approved for a print ad, television commercial, auditioning for a hosting gig and so on can sometimes take a toll on a person. Before I even got the part and landed on good roles, I was an extra. Yep, proud to be one. Hey one must start at the ground floor in order to enjoy the view from the penthouse when she gets there right?

Being called as an “extra” can be degrading for some but not really for me. I didn’t mind, I figured we all had the same jobs (be the lead talent, the supporting talent, the acting extra or the extra) only different titles, at the end of the day we all had to act and get the job done. The only difference is the pay varies and it was always a huge factor.

Practice and patience is the key in surviving in this industry. Surely that after a few months or years, a new breed of models who posses youth and have the same beauty as you will inevitably come and can easily steal the spotlight away from you. It may be threatening as it sounds but that’s the harsh reality. As much fun as it is being one of the easiest money making job, it is also the most unstable one. There’s no expiration dates, no regular pays, no increase or mid-year bonus of course because the money will depend on how many projects you can book.

You may even shell out tons of money first before even getting your first job as a model. Trainings are very important. It helps you cover the basics and the ins and outs of the industry you plan to work in. Also, as shallow as it may sound, but physical appearance is indeed a great factor. You have to look good in order to feel good (that can be quite obvious for most of us) but for those who don’t really give a big deal about it (like me when I wasn’t aware I’d be in this industry) sometimes, investing on your physical looks can be your best bet. Acting workshop, basic modeling workshop, personality development, braces, facial treatments, gym enrollment, updating your wardrobe are just some of the things you have to consider.It may sound like they’re not a big deal but believe me, considering these things or not can either make or break your aspiring career as a model.

The hard part of the job is everything in between, be warned to never take things seriously. If you’re scolded and if you feel like everyone’s experiencing PMS fret not, it’s part of the industry be it in showbusiness or in the glamorous world of fashion or advertising. Don’t take it personally, a lot of these staff are dead tired and exhausted plus the fact that their bosses are pressuring them to get their job right, I say being scolded and scolding is normally part of this job. So smile and be nice, not unless the cause of their stress is you, I’d say you’re still on your way to becoming a model.

My point is it’s not easy money as you think it is, although compared to other jobs that that don’t involve acting and requiring you to look good, modeling is only as good as you can be. Whatever capabilities you show is a one in a hundred shot because apart from who you are and what you want others to see you, it all depends on external factors to determine your fate. Again. Don’t take it personally, especially when you’re auditioning for a role for a TV commercial or print. Sometimes, no matter how good great you are in acting and no matter how pretty you are, there’s this certain factor that clients look for, shall we call it the x factor?!

A lot of people especially parents particularly moms would really want their kids to be part of this industry. Who wouldn’t? Aside from the fact that the pay is good, your face being shown on national TV and the chance to be discovered by directors and even big shot bosses of well known TV networks. There aren’t really any downside to it that’s why a lot of people want to get into the business. It can all start with strutting yourself on a regular day at your favorite mall fast forward few years after (or faster for some) and you become an award -winning actress with multiple endorsements you never thought you’d do (or you might’ve thought more than a few times).  Let everything come as natural as possible and my advice for moms, if your kids don’t want to do it, please don’t force them to.

I could basically go on and on and share with you all my thoughts and opinions but hey, this post isn’t exactly dedicated to that. I’m merely sharing you all my own experience.

Here’s a quick look on what projects I’ve made over the years.

Behind the scenes photos.

Here are some of  the videos:

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I’ll be posting a separate post on the modeling agencies that I know just in case you or someone you know is interested in trying out their luck in this industry. Who knows, you or that someone you know could be the next big thing, eh? (don’t forget me when you’re famous! LOL)

So in between motherhood and homemaking this is me and if ever Gabbie wants to be in the same line of work as I am, I wouldn’t mind. I would support her just as much as my parents have supported me but if she doesn’t, I won’t even dare force her.

Hoping for more projects in 2012!

By the way, how will you usher in the new year?

I together with my family will celebrate it here in Singapore (with a big sty on my left eye *sad face*).

And because, I won’t be able to greet you on the 1st of January let me greet you a happy, happy new year (a day advanced of course) *winks using my right eye* LOL

Here’s to my last post for 2011! Cheers!