I don't know if it was the butterflies in my stomach or the growling of my tummy in anticipation of A&W that kept me up all night. The proper thing before a major shoot is to have adequate rest and go to bed like a good girl by 10pm, but there i was laying in bed staring at my ceiling waiting for my alarm to go off. The shoot was all the way in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and i had to catch the 7am flight without any sleep.

The original idea of the FHM Upgrade Girlfriend shoot was to have a series outdoors - picnic on the fields, followed by lounging by the pool and a dip to cool off from the scorching noon sun. But security guards of the area made a last minute demand for a big sum of money to use the location for a shoot. Oh well, with a brilliant photographer, art director and stylist, you could turn any location into an awesome shoot. Let's go with a homely girlfriend, i'll tease you on the kitchen counter, lay over the dinning table and flirt with you as we sit and talk ;)

I'd like to thank everyone who had a part in the shoot, and for featuring me on my birthday month :D

I grew up with A&W's famously addictive root beer float, coney dogs and curly fries. But the last outlet of A&W in Singapore closed a couple of years ago :( What better way to end a shoot then to head straight for some nostalgic, highly satisfying A&W grub :)

Still regretting not smuggling some curly fries home, i wait to board the 7pm flight back to Singapore. Finally, i get to get some rest...completely satisfied ;)

Getting off the plane, I didn't realize how small Semarang's airport was till I got inside. It's so small it took me a couple of seconds to get to customs. Looking out for my checked-in luggage was easy, just walk a few meters past customs you're at the conveyor belt . Literally - belt in singular tense. The entire airport has only ONE belt!

Travelling to the outskirts of Java, Indonesia with a high fever and tonsilitis was just a mess. I spent most of the 4 days wincing in pain, and trying to contain the intense nausea that came with the tonsilitis.

Gorgeous costal Semarang is a small town, and I was so surprised to find such great talent in this little known place! Jossy is Semarang's most well known photographer and not only is he talented, he was such a gem about me being sick and unable to shoot for 2 days. He was completely accommodating and I feel terrible and apologetic that I could only manage a super short shoot. But for what it's worth:

Tenashar and the other Fashion TV models were lucky to party to the great beats of Armada DJ Glenn Morrison over the weekend. It was great meeting Glenn and partying behind the console! :)

Glenn Morrison has enjoyed the support of DJs as varied as Armin Van Buuren and Richie Hawtin, David Guetta and Luciano. For three years he was resident at the world's best club, Ibiza’s Amnesia Club. He worked with fellow Canadian producer Deadmau5, then struck out alone. Tiësto put his hit 'Contact' on a compilation and it shot to the top of the World Dance Charts.

Fashion TV booked all 400 rooms at the Nirwana Gardens Resort, and had requested a venue that could hold 1,000 guests. How else to have a massive pool and foam party?!

Filming for Fashion TV was just pure fun, but partying with them was even better! Congrats to them on the launch of F-Vodka in the region - the new super sexy Vodka by Fashion TV :)

"The week I spent in the hostile areas of Thailand left me troubled for quite a while. The injuries and thousands of civilian causalities over the course of this war between the provinces is just the saddest thought."
- Tenashar

Welcome to the red zone. An emergency decree has just been extended, and the hostile deep south of Thailand remains under Martial law.

Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, are on the Thai side of the Thai-Malaysian border. In a majority Buddhist country, these three provinces are around 80% Muslim. For the past 5 years these 3 provinces have been the center of a conflict whereby, according to Songkhla University, over 12,500 violent incidents have left over 10,000 people have injured or killed. The far south of Thailand has been experiencing almost daily incidents of criminally and politically motivated violence including incidents attributed to armed local separatist groups.

Ethnic separatist insugency is taking place right to this very moment. There are a few causes as to how this conflict came about, as historically, some of it are based on a 200 year old "occupation" as well as the resettlement of the northeastern Thais in the 60's. Added to that, allegations of violent and senseless police brutality, crimes, and also impudence towards Islam. Compounded with the emergence of bars, drug trafficking and corruption further fueled the flames of animosity and tension in the region. Drug trafficking seems to be the most likely cause however for this insurgency.

Patani separatist groups, or the Patani United Liberation Organization(PULO) as it is known, emerged in 2001 with their use of intense and turbulent tactics to such a devastating effect. There were motions of the PULO having links with other terrorist organisations, similarly Al-Qaeda, and JI. Reports even suggest that some of their militants even received training in Pakistan, where Al-Qaeda centers are also based.

To give a better picture of the extent of the conflict, these incidents occurred during the week I was there:

April 12
A ten-man military patrol was ambushed in Narathiwat, involving a remote-controlled bomb and gunfire from an undetermined number of assailants.

April 14
A village defence volunteer was killed in a drive-by shooting.

April 16
Suspected Muslim insurgents killed a man and seriously wounded a paramilitary ranger in separate attacks in Yala and Narathiwat.

April 16
A soldier was seriously injured when a roadside bomb exploded in Narathiwat’s Jo-irong district.

April 18
Two police officers were wounded in a bombing near southern Thailand's Ruso district train station in the violence-impacted province of Narathiwat.

April 18
A ranger was killed and 28 other people, among them civilians, were injured in a car bomb explosion in Yala.

I’m greeted by military checkpoints every few kilometers. At every checkpoint, stacks of military sandbags and soldiers with automatic rifles check vehicles for bombs and weaponry. Photography isn’t allowed, as any information the insurgents obtain might be critical. Being the first and only Singaporean to venture into the conflict area, i didn't know what to expect. I'm so lucky that the soldiers didn't confiscate my camera, and allowed me to bring my photos home :)

Nightfall. The low drone of Islamic chant sounds throughout the city. I sit on a mat spread out along the sidewalk. A car screeching nearby makes me realize I’m a nervous wreck. My peripheral vision is heightened and I find myself in a constant state of alert.

Despite all the warnings from military personnel and Thai civilians, here I am in Narathiwat, set to head out into Yala and Pattani. I hope my photos bring awareness to the lives and torments of the people of the deep south.

For the 300 and more teachers that have been executed as they are seen by the insurgents as symbols of the Thai state.
Teachers are lined up in firing lines, and the region in Thailand’s south has been dubbed 'one of the most dangerous places in the world to teach'.

“In the morning when they go to school, the teachers never know whether they will come back in the evening”
- Bunsom Thongsriprai

For the mosque massacres.

2004 - After Muslim militants raided an army depot in Narathiwat, killing four soldiers and taking 300 weapons, the military went on the offensive against separatist groups, leading to an attack on the ancient Krue Sae Mosque, which killed 32. A further 78 people died from suffocation and injuries while being taken to prison.

2009 - Six unidentified assailants wearing ski masks opened fire Monday on both entrances of a mosque while about 100 Thai Muslims were attending evening prayers in the Cho Ai-rong district of Narathiwat province, killing 11 people.

For the thousands of soldiers killed.
Soldiers are killed almost daily, from incidents of criminally and politically motivated violence. Yet still, brave young soldiers continue to risk their lives.

Almost everyone in the deep south has lost someone, or knows someone that has lost someone in this conflict.

I grab a couple of maps, a Thai sim card and head out into the touting of drivers. To every driver I tell that I need to get to Narathiwat, I get looks of shock and stern warnings not to go there. For the little English the drivers could speak, they managed to tell me of bombs, war and danger.  It was then that I realized how truly scared the people of Thailand are of the hostility in the deep south. Phuket airport’s a long way off from the deep south, but a great way to experience Songkran along the way.

Songkran is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water – this originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles.

7 hours in a minivan and I’m in Hat Yai. The crazy wet festivities are the same, but not a single foreigner in sight. Songkran in Phuket and Krabi feels more like drunk foreigners with water guns looking for a party. Hat Yai engulfs you into the genuine vibe of the celebration.

A soldier from Narathiwat shoots dead 1 person and injures 4 others in a pub in Phuket during the celebrations, but i'm still making my way to hostile Narathiwat...

- to be continued -

Zoomaa - A collection and a comment on pop-culture – focused on the many beautiful celebrities on screen or from other parts of the public scene. It will also be a place for unknown models and photographers around the world. He's interested in creative, sensual and original photos. Pictures that can give us a story about the model, the photographer or the city / country. 

- For full article please click here -
"Tenashar broke up from a pleasant job as a broker in the financial world in Singapore, to follow her passion for photography and modeling. She is a creative and skilled photographer, and a professional and very beautiful model.

Born and brought up in Singapore by a Euro-Asian father and a Chinese mother, but has lived the last years in Europe (Spain). Recently she returned to Singapore to work as a full time model in Asia.

Her international background has made her multi-lingual, speaking English, Spanish, Mandarin and basic Italian.

Her aim is always to try and create great photos – in front or behind the camera. She works hard to develop as a freelance photographer and catching the moments, the people, the lights and the colors. As a model she hopes to work with other creative artists and cooperate to exciting projects.

She is definitely a top class model, and her mixed ethnic heritage makes her a very beautiful woman. Read more about the sensual and elegant Tenashar at Tenashar.Com"

Jay and I head down to abandoned, restricted army barracks. When it's 34°C outside, and you're in an enclosed hangar...it's bloody BLOODY warm.

We went into the shoot thinking we were gonna do a fashiony pretty dressy shoot, but the thin little kimono Jay brought with him was a billion times more appealing in this weather.

I know kimonos are normally worn with the bow at the back, but what the heck, let's just have it in front.

Abandoned army barracks...didn't mean much to me till i got there and laying against the walls meant laying against green disgusting moss which got all over me, and carefully avoiding the spiders and cobwebs. We finally found an area of wall which was half decent and still allowed us to make use of the natural light. No lighting or reflectors were used for this shoot.

I think Jay's just pure genius, we're definitely gonna do more shoots together :)

Oh, uploading a couple of photos from this shoot got my facebook page suspended for a full hour!

Leaving Sihanoukville with Ben and our blonde ponytailed boat captain.
Some companies/publications that have used Ben's work include Lonely Planet, NZ Ski, FHM Magazine, and a long list of others.
He's also had over 100 000 individual image licences sold.

When you get to an untouched and secret island, it's great to suntan and run around in the nude...BUT a bitch to live on. A 4 hour boat through choppy waters off the gulf of Cambodia and hello beautiful tropical island Koh Rong! It's virtually untouched, which means no jetty! So grab your bags, get into the ocean and with your bags over your head army-style wade 10 minutes to shore. Not as easy as it sounds when you pack like me. My photographer dumps his camera equipment in a cooler box, swims to shore then makes another trip back to put his macbook into his backpack. uh oh. A drop in the sand banks has poor Ben, backpack and macbook completely soaked in sea water. But the sun's going down, let's shoot first and figure out if it's dead later.

I love shooting with Ben. A wonderful person, a brilliant photographer and a great new friend.

Chances of your camera getting wet when doing beach shoots are high. A wave hits the camera and it goes dead. So we call it a day and figure out a place to stay on the island. Sunset. We look for a hut to stay in for the night. This island has no electricity or running water, so we walk in darkness through jungle and over rocks with the help of a small torchlight. The owner of the huts tells us to please be careful of the snakes..the king cobras will move away from you but not the red poisonous snakes. Great. There we are finding our way in darkness and now i have "red poisonous snakes" repeating in my head.

We slept in a hut with no lights, no fan, no running water. All it had was 2 mosquito nets and mattresses. It's been 10 years since this city girl has slept without air conditioning, what more this.

What's the worst thing that could happen after swimming from the boat, walking in darkness along the beach then through jungle to the hut? I had left something on the boat! So Ben being the great guy he is offered to go all the way back to the boat with me. Back on the red poisonous snake trail we were, the wind's howling and a storm is approaching. But i'm so thankful i forgot something on the boat. Walking along the pitch black beach we notice the shoreline glowing specks of green. Ben points out the glowing plankton and i'm staring in awe. It was just too surreal! It's so dark all we could see of the boat was a tiny blinking light. We start swimming and oh my god glowing green plankton everywhere! They glow when they are disturbed and Ben was darting around the water in front of me leaving a light trail...it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. These were gazillions and gazillions of bioluminescent plankton! That scene from The Beach of the plankton with Leonardo Dicaprio was actually real! Gosh, one of the most beautiful moments in my life :)

- more photos up soon -

Backpack weighing down on my tiny frame, an extra shoulder bag, and my camera slung across. 4am and i was off to Singapore Changi airport to catch the 6.45am flight out to Phnom Penh. Waiting in queue to check-in, groups of friends and couples are chatting amongst themselves, and it saddens me a bit that i was going to be traveling all by my lonesome.

Good morning Cambodia! I negotiate through rowdy con job tuk tuk drivers and make my way to the bus station. There's no airport in Sihanoukville, so a jerky noisy bus through Cambodia's 3rd world roads is my best option. Their roads and busses are so terrible i bounced, vibrated and cussed throughout the 6 hour journey. It didn't help that the Cambodian guy that i sat beside kept brushing up against me. But hell, there was no other seat on the bus. Pitstops were great though, i'd run out with my camera into the villages along the way, and i was all smiles again. Save for the fact that i had to pee in a hole beside chickens.

I reach Sihanoukville, the outskirts of Cambodia. The bus now leaves me at the hands of the tuk tuk drivers again. My driver takes me to some weird place where there are no roads and stops his tuk tuk to speak to me. "I take you to see my friend, i take you later to Sakal bungalows" Now i'm worried as f*ck, so as he kept insisting, i kept playing the bimbo card of not understanding a word and repeatedly pointing on the map.

After 12 hours of travel, I finally get to where my photographer is, and seeing Ben's face is such a huge relief.

- to be continued -

I know not many girls would say ok to going off to Hong Kong or anywhere outside their country with someone they've never met. I had my best friend make me watch a bleedingly long video on Human Trafficking. But what the hell, i think i profile people well enough from a couple of exchanged emails to make decisions. Before i decided to live my passions of photography and modeling, i was a broker for a handful of years, so profiling people kind of became second nature to me. But no, i'm not giving a thumbs up to girls going off to different countries with strangers in hopes of a photoshoot, please don't. I take calculated risks, and i research too much before i pack my bags.

One man's meat is another man's poison, my grandfather used to say. Well that's apparent when it comes to art. People of different countries and cultures have varied views on what they consider ideal based on the influences around them. And i'm open-minded enough to understand going to Hong Kong for a photoshoot would mean more 'cutesy' asian poses, so i tweaked my artistic preferences for this photoshoot ;) I think my photographer Samuel Lee did a great great job, thanks Samuel!

Oh, i overdosed on bubble tea with tapioca noodles in Hong Kong by the way.