[Submitted by vjtaya on November 6, 2008, 3:39 pm]
Hey guys! Your friendly neighborhood VJ here just letting you all know about the SWITCH contest we've got going on here at MTV- I'm sure most of you are familiar with the SWITCH campaign that MTV runs- it's all about the conservation of energy and how to use energy efficiently to help halt global warming... SO the contest! It's super easy and the payoff? You could be the lucky owner of an energy efficient INTEL CENTRINO 2 notebook (aka laptop) Have i seduced you yet? ;) Here's what you have to do:
Submit your own tips on energy saving and conservation techniques by either writing in, submitting photos, or even videos! IF you feel lacking in the creativity department, you can head over to the website and simply vote for other peoples tips and YOU may win an awesome MTV goody bag just for voting for other people.
check it out! www.mtvasia.com/switch to enter or vote for other people's entries.
The contest wont run for very long so you better get to steppin!!! GOOD LUCK!!!
[Submitted by vjtaya on November 5, 2008, 4:07 pm]
written OCT 28th, 2008 on http://starryeyedsoul.blogspot.com
so here i am
lazying around for the day
because for once i have the day off
SO you better believe i didnt set my alarm and i let myself get a full 10 hours of sleep
waking up just around 12 all achy and alone
(my roomie was already out and in class)
so i stretched the sleep away and kicked around under the covers for another hour or so
before inspiring some sort of hope for the day
geographically i am now back in singapore
after returning from jakarta late last night
(although jakarkar was only a transit city)
i spent saturday traveling to bali and all day monday traveling back from bali
so bali was my geographical location for the weekend- well, more specifically sunday
RIP CURL held their big Surf & Music Festival
so mtv news went to cover the event which was a blassssst
i got to interview a bunch of local surfers and of course catch the competition
plus talk to some local bands and catch their performances later that night
all good fun and lots of sun of course
but perhaps best of all
WWF was also at the event and they had a booth set up forrrr
saving sea turtles!
it's really quite sad, these little guys pop out of their eggs and slowly make their way down the beach into the ocean and after making their way out to sea (if they even make it into the water without some other form of wildlife scooping them up for lunch) they have to fend off bigger fish, poachers, all kinds of crazy dangers.... so in the end, only something ridiculously sad like 1 out of 100 sea turtles actually makes it to adulthood!!! SAD!
anyway i love turtles and since WWF was taking donations to help save the turtles, i adopted 5 lil guys and later after the crowning of the winner of the surf competition, we all got to pick out the turtles we adopted and take them out into the ocean to free them! they're SOOOO cute it's almost impossible to believe anyone or anything would wanna hurt them.
So after all that- the surfing, the music, the sea turtles, sunday was an awesome success and the only follow up was a beautiful morning of surfing on monday before we all left for the airport.
Rip Curl was so nice to set us all up for surf lessons- which my 2 news producers took along with a handful of other tourists and i grabbed a board and headed out on my own. Some much needed time out in the water, i wish i could surf everyday.... bali's got such good surf! and the warm water does wonders. I hate having to wear my wetsuit! talk about spoiled. i usually only ever surf hawaii and bali.... anyway a few good hours of surf in then off to the airport to fly to jakarkar (Where my mom lives) and she came to grab a quick bite with me at the airport before i caught the flight back here to singapore again.
and here i am, a little bruised (i almost always bruise after a good surf session), a little burnt (i think i may have gotten a liiiittle too much sun on my lil nose), and definitely exhausted but willing to do it all over again.
time to get back to work though, lots going on this week....
Kanye West is performing here in Singapore tomorrow night and i'll be making my way there after the ELLE magazine awards (yours truly was nominated for... "breakout star of the year"?! who knew!? me? a star?! interesting....) then friday is halloween! well well well will you look at where the time went!?
speaking of events, Avenged Sevenfold was recently in Singapore and i got to interview them as well.... funny guys... remind me a lot of home (well, obviously since theyre from about 45mins south of where i'm from in California....) Anyway make sure you guys look out for that interview as well as the Rip Curl stuff on a tv set near you very sooooooon.
i'm off and out
see you all quicker than you can figure out why pi = 3.14
<3
[Submitted by vjtaya on November 5, 2008, 4:06 pm]
written OCT 23, 2008 on http://starryeyedsoul.blogspot.com
life's been hitting me from all kinds of angles lately
in all sorts of ways too.
not that the hits are fully painful
(besides sometimes we find the pleasure in the pain)
sick and twisted isn't it?
so to start off, i should apologize for missing in blogging action lately
my internet has been wishy washy with me and like a bratty child, it only seems to want to comply long enough for me to exhale then it snatches me offline again.
*rawr*
anyway here we are, october 2008- the END of october 2008- and halloween is just around the corner... i havent done anything to celebrate halloween in AGES. One of these years i'm going to make my own costume and go out dancing ;) but not this year. This year i'll probably be at an event, not dressed up (but certainly dressed haha).
For the past month i've had nonstop visitors with me here in Singapore and i have been love love loving every moment with these people i love. Being this far from home, i do find myself lonely often and not far between. But it's the kind of loneliness i'm used and usually do well embracing- BUT of course the company has been resurrecting for me. I feel refreshed being surrounded by these people who know me so well and can so often make me laugh until i cry. Best way to spend a day!
I've also been traveling a lot- part of why i've been missing in blogging action... this month i have been to thailand twice, hong kong, indonesia, etc etc etc There's lots going on. LOTS. I'm not complaining, i'm loving it. The work has been good, i'm still learning a lot about my job as well as myself, and i've seen all sorts of new things i never thought i'd experience.
I've also been doing a lot of me-unraveling. I've talked to two of my best friends this month about the process of soul searching/ unraveling/ self discovery... it's a deeply sensitive soul tearing process that takes a lot of time, courage, effort, honesty to truly attempt and i dont know where or when i started but i've been slowly unraveling the inner workings of ME. I've been taking time to be truly honest with myself and who i am and how i want to live my life, who i want to be...
It hasnt been a pretty process, definitely not predominately joyous, but very satisfying to say the least and i know i'm only getting started but i've gained so much clarity... all these years of me thinking i was being honest with myself, i've only recently opened the door into that room and let myself be fully swallowed by the darkness- and now i'm walking my way across to the other side.
can't wait to come out alive.
okay back to work. lots of heavy thoughts in this singapore rain. i'll write more again soon. i promise.
love.
[Submitted by vjtaya on November 5, 2008, 4:05 pm]
written SEPT 25, 2008 on http://starryeyedsoul.blogspot.com
Well, it's happened again; time has completely snuck past me leaving me breathless and anxious to figure out how to put into words, everything that's happened since i last wrote.... where to start, what to say... and what time is it?
Gotta keep an eye on the clock because as i type this delicious blog i am baking even more delicious cheesecake bars. Yup thats right, I bake. Not only do i bake, i LOVE to bake- cook- whatever food related activity you can think of!!! I LOVE FOOD. What can i say? I'm secretly a fattie who eats way more than she should and thank god for good genes and a high metabolism cuz lately i've been eating and barely working out! Yikes... i hear the treadmill calling me names...
Let's see... so besides my little cooking/ baking frenzy, i've also celebrated my 23rd birthday (nothing crazy, just a nice little dinner with a few close friends + my mom and a day filled with lots of desserts!!!), i made a quick escape down to phuket, thailand with my roomie and we basked in the brilliant thai sun for 3 short days and nice long bubblebath filled nights (and lots of room service haha), i've been doing all my normal Mtv work, i won "Best Lips of 2008" at FHM Singapore's recent Hott 100 party - where yours truly almost spit up her drink on a stranger in surprise when they announced that she's #8 on this years FHM International Hott 100 (?!!?!?!?..... my mother was actually very proud and did not hesitate to point out that i get my lips from her haha), but perhaps most exciting of all:::: are you ready for this?! ::::::: Utt and i were asked to help out with the ONE campaign here in Singapore! Didnt i just blog you all about this!? Did someone hear my e-prayers?!
AMAZING. So Utt and i went down to MILK studios and we got to write a personal pledge for the ONE Singapore website as well as be photographed for website and various other mediums that will be used to spread not so well known facts about what's going on in the world today. It's such a dream come true for me to take part in ONE campaign... in fact the night before i found out about their invitation, i had just signed a ONE petition! It's like it all came together at once. I love it when that happens...
Even during my lil getaway to phuket, life handed me one of its rare moments where too many coincidences all line up perfectly- super last minute i was given the weekend off, even more last minute my mom friend was able to find a hotel room for me, and then to top it all off 2 of my best friends from bangkok were in phuket that exact weekend! OH! And i didnt even tell you yet but the hotel has 2 baby elephants that come out to play with the guests! Yup Lucky is 11 months old, tiny (for an elephant) and not only plays the harmonica but also does headstands!!! Lily is 2 years old and super cuddly- she loves giving hugs and kisses (: i fell head over heels in love with both of them....! Too bad elephants arent small enough to make into household pets!
Could you imagine me riding an elephant to work down orchard road?! Ohhhh how FUN!!
Hmmmm what else to say?!
Obviously this weekend is madness in Singapore- all hustle and bustle with the first ever F1 night race happening this weekend... i plan on baking, hibernating, and spending lots of time with the friends who will be in town (:
What are YOUR plans for the weekend?
If you find some free time and you've got access to a camera, flowers, and a computer head on over to www.mtvasia.com/mtvi and submit a photo for the Flower Power photo contest!!! Mtv has a new pro social campaign out that supports World Peace and Anti-Violence (: peace starts within and spreads so sit down, meditate a little, snap a few pix, and help spread the PEACE.
(contest ends oct 6th so you better get to it!!!)
Okay the cheesecake bars are ready to be taken out of the oven so i'll leave you all with one final thought:
"When i despair, i remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it... always."
- M. Gandhi
have a good weekend!!! lots of love, peace, and big delicious cheesecake bars!
taya
[Submitted by vjtaya on November 5, 2008, 4:04 pm]
written SEPT 9, 2008 on http://starryeyedsoul.blogspot.com
WOW. Time has crept by all too quickly... there's so much to say, where should i start....?!I'll start with laughter- laughter's always a good place to begin.
So Aug 31st was the big NIKE HUMAN RACE 10K here in singapore... 25 countries worldwide racing on the same day- 1 million runners; 11,000 runners in singapore... in short it was INCREDIBLE. You can't even begin to imagine what it's like to be standing on a platform facing 11,000 runners in matching red shirts all running towards you. It was UNREAL.
Anyway so Utt and I hosted the race and the concerts that followed; all these amazing local acts came out to entertain the crowd and NIKE being as awesome as they are gave out tons of free stuff and overall the energy was electric. It was hard to believe that most of the audience had just run 10k. I would have died 5k in and Utt would have had to pick me up from the closest starbucks. For reals.
So among all the awesome performers there was DJ KoFlow, The Great Spy Experiment (SO GOOD LIVE!), Jack & Rai (i love their vibe), and highlighting the night, Boys Like Girls from the US... some of you may know that i did their music video for The Great Escape way back almost 2 years ago and well i've kinda been in and outta touch with the guys since then but i hadnt seen them since we shot the video. It was SO SURREAL to see them here in singapore and not only interview them for MTV Asia but to catch up with them about everything that's happened since we shot the video. Life's been such a rollercoaster for all of us... i couldnt be happier about the circumstances under which we were reunited (And it feels so goooood haha okay i couldnt help myself there) Anyway, best of all, i'm happy to say the guys are still the awesome, fun, humble, down to earth guys they were 2 years ago before the album blew up worldwide. SERIOUSLY. I got a good chance to catch up with them and a few of us went out the night before they left- I HAVENT LAUGHED THAT HARD IN A WHILE. No joke i woke up to sore abs cuz we spent the night laughing so much. It was a much needed moment of pure happiness.
I think we all need those moments... time to just be silly, smile, laugh til we cry, and stop letting the little day to day stresses scratch at our worries. It was SUCH a good night.
And now, a week later, i just returned from 5 days in Japan. I had a full day of studio then headed to the airport, flew to bangkok, met up with the crew in bangkok then caught the red eye to Osaka. We got in around 7:30am, went to breakfast, took a 2 hour bus to Kyoto then got straight to work. We spent that first day shooting for a Thai magazine then going to dinner, the second day was the first day of the music video shoot (for Thai singer Ice Sarunyu, who is SUCH a sweetheart), then the 3rd day we were up and outta the hotel by 4:30am, drove 2 hours out to Giffu where we shot ALLLLL day and finally wrapped at 11pm, got back to the hotel a bit before 2am, then the next day we were up and in make up/ hair by 9am for the 2nd photoshoot. We wrapped that day, did a lil wandering around kyoto that night and then i totally passed out. Like an earthquake AND Godzilla couldnt have roused me from my slumber. The next day we left early for osaka, did a bit of shopping then headed for the airport. I spent 12 hours in Bangkok and now here i am back in singapore in my bed with a handful of new memories, a new job for my resume, and 2 new cameras ;p What can i say, i LOVE photography (i bought a fuji instax camera that i've been searching for now that polaroid is getting harder and harder to find and i bought a lil toy holga pocket camera that was too cute to resist)
i REALLY wanted to buy this really nice RICOH digi cam but i just got my new digi cam 2 months ago.... so i'll be holding off on the RICOH for a while....
SO. Here's what i will always remember about this trip to Kyoto (it was my first time there by the way):
the BUGS! i've never seen so many random species of insects in one CITY in my entire life. it was nuts. and i'm not a big bug fan but there were some pretty and some pretty ugly creepy crawlers in Kyoto.
the shave ice sucked all 3 times i tried it. it LOOKED pretty though....
the food was awesome... and i do love the mini marts in japan (they're like the ones in hawaii)
i MISS acting (even the 2 days shooting the video completely revived my love for acting....)
Japan is simply beautiful for photographing... everything comes out either brilliantly lit up and colored or soft and warm, glowing just a little
HAJI - San at the Yamasoto Ramen restaurant in Giffu makes the best cheese tempura EVER (and i DO love me some cheese!) He and his wife have the most precious lil ramen shop i've ever seen and they were adorable sweet people - we spent a whole day filming at and around their shop, it was wonderful.
gosh i'm sure there's more i just cant think right now... so much on my mind still about the trip and everything that happened in the 4 day whirlwind of work. It was an awesome little trip though :)
lots of moments of pure happiness.... i've stolen the phrase from one of my dearest friends, Jillian, one of the people in my life who never fail to spread moments of pure happiness. I sent her a pair of lil sushi earrings that she finally received in the mail and she sent me the sweetest message. I had to pass the wish on...
So here's me wishing you all daily moments of pure happiness :)
<3
[Submitted by vjtaya on November 5, 2008, 4:03 pm]
written aug 27th, 2008 on http://starryeyedsoul.blogspot.com
So next to writing and photography, i LOVE reading. Yeah, that's right, i'm a geeky bookworm and i'm SO not ashamed to admit it! I was raised on books more than television and even now, in my 20s and done with school, i read every chance i get- and i'm one of those addicts who CANT PUT DOWN A BOOK ONCE I START READING. My mom always says i'm going to get hit by a car one of these days because i read and walk sometimes too (awful habit, dont try it). Anyway instead of putting a list on this blog page of all the books i love and am waiting to love i thought i'd link you all up to an awesome website full of other book lovers (although they may not all be as geeky as yours truly ;) haha) So here is the site:
www.goodreads.com
and here's my profile there:
www.goodreads.com/profile/taya32
so you can all check out the books i've read, what i'm waiting to read, and what i'm currently reading :) you know... if you feel like it.
i'm always giving my friends books or recommending books or giving away books once i've read and fell in love with them... and i'm always open to recommendations so if you've read any good books lately, let me know!
happy reading!
Taya
p.s. i love the amount of back and forth brought on by my last blog- KEEP RESPONDING. keep writing. keep thinking. keep reading. keep loving <3
[Submitted by vjtaya on November 5, 2008, 4:02 pm]
written AUG 25, 2008 on http://starryeyedsoul.blogspot.com
In my last blog i took cheesiness to a whole new level and stated the obvious. I'm a happy girl, i have a million reasons to be happy, i'm loved and i love, and the world is my playground, happiness mine for the realizing.
I'm not going to point out all the devastation in the world. The point of my last blog was to remind the equally fortunate out there how fortunate we all are and how to ALLOW yourself to realize why you should be happy. Obviously no one reading this blog is in an unfortunate circumstance. I mean i know internet is globally accessible now but c'mon, chances are, you're not that desolate if you're online reading my blog. This time around however, i will rub a few facts in your face and tell you a little bit about what you should be doing or maybe i'll just be telling you what i do and hope it inspires you to do the same or even find newer better ways to make the world a little more bearable for those less fortunate.
First off, i'd like you all to read one of my favorite articles ever.
By Dr. Bob Moorehead
"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgement; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch tv too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudices.
We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men and short character; steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are the days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom...."
[Submitted by vjtaya on November 5, 2008, 4:01 pm]
written AUG 25th, 2008
There was a moment, at the recent MTV Asia Awards after-party when i was deeply engaged in a shallow conversation with several people (whose names would be all too familiar, so let's just avoid mentioning names altogether) and the topic at hand revolved around teasing me. The topic was: "Why DOES taya smile so much?"
I couldnt help but laugh at my expectant audience and their amused looks, i'm sure they were all waiting for some fantastic life changing answer, but the truth is so much simpler. I smile so much because i'm so happy. And i'm SO extremely happy because... well, why wouldnt i be? I have amazing parents, friends who i love and who keep me loved all over the world, i get paid to do what i love, i'm learning new things everyday, meeting all kinds of new people, i'm even meeting strangers who encourage me and inspire me to continue to fight for my dreams.
People tend to think happiness is so complicated... as if it's hard to find, hard to keep, hard to understand.. WHY is it even surprising that i smile so much? HOW is that even possibly mind boggling? worth wondering about? worth asking? how silly.
It's cheesy, i know. But hey, i'm a little cheesy and i DO love cheese (a lil cheese never hurt anything) The people in my life, more than anything else, make me smile. They make me smile til it hurts, laugh til i cry, they make up for all the awful things i've seen and heard... we all need a strong support to lean on when things get rough- and EVERYONE has rough days.
Remember, always be extra nice to the people you know or meet, EVERYONE is going through something and you never know when it may be hitting them the hardest.
Happiness is as simple as a smile. Did you know scientists did studies once and discovered that simply by forcing your face to smile (even when you dont feel like it) you can BECOME happy? How could it possibly get any easier?
i'll let you in on a little secret... a secret i dont mind sharing because i recently realized that the best secrets are worth sharing, so here it is:
when i'm having a rough day and dont feel like i have much to smile for, i do a little reminding. i sit down with one of my many notebooks and list out everything and anything - anyone- i love. seriously. candy, foods, people, places, moments, from the smallest things to the biggest things... and you should know that to me, the little things add up to be some of the most important. By the time i'm done writing the list i'm happier and much more willing to smile.
funny how sometimes we just need to be reminded of things huh? sometimes i need to be reminded of how truly lucky i am (this one doesnt happen that often though) and every now and then i need to be reminded of all the love in my life.
all i ever wanted, all i ever needed, all i ever could be. LOVE.
[Submitted by vjtaya on August 21, 2008, 3:40 am]
so just thought i should let you all know that i'm moving....
to a different blog site.
i'll still log on to mtvasia's blog and i'll try to blog here as well but in the meantime i need a change of scenery... a different setting for my thoughts to settle in.
soooo
if you find some free time and curiosity on your hands, feel free to check out my open blogspot:
http://starryeyedsoul.blogspot.com/
hollatchur vj ;)
[Submitted by vjtaya on August 5, 2008, 5:29 pm]
So by now most of you must have noticed that a few months worth of blog entries got deleted and are irretrievable.... sad sad sad. i wish i would have saved them on my computer! Welllll geez. Where to start now then?
I suppose i should begin with today and work my way backwards towards June...?!
TODAY!
I got to meet and interview the very amazing (and incredibly thoughtful and sincere) Jason Mraz. The man is for reals, the kind of guy you just wanna sit around, drink tea, and talk to about everything haha. Or maybe that's just me. I found out recently that he has a passion for polaroid film and i almost hugged him for finding a kindred spirit. My heart was broken when polaroid announced that they were discontinuing the production of polaroid film! I've been stocking up on it ever since and converting over to fuji polaroid cameras (: And... now i know the very talented Jason Mraz will soon be releasing a book of polaroids titled "A Thousand Things" (and you better believe i'm waiting to buy a copy!)... anyway so the interview was awesome, he's very down to earth, talkative, and everything you picture him to be when you listen to his music and watch him perform (ps. did you catch singfest!? AMAZING.). Make sure you look out for that on the channel.
So that was my oh so wonderful day today.
Now... This past weekend... THE MTV ASIA AWARDS 2008.... oh my my my where to start!?
Genting, Malaysia... city of entertainment, casinos, fog, amusement parks, and who could forget... the ripley's believe it or not museum (which i had time to visit and be completely blown away by... my friend and i agreed that maybe they should rename it the Ripley's Believe it or not, people have too much time on their hands, museum ;p) ... but this past weekend, Genting was flooded with celebrities (i hate that word by the way) from the East, the West, and even a few watered down east-meets-west people like me ;) And of course the hundreds and hundreds of enthusiastic fans waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite artists!.... The Script, OneRepublic, Leona Lewis, The Pussycat Dolls, Jabbawockeez, Super Junior, Project EAR, Panic At The Disco, Electrico, Stephanie Sun, Click 5, and oh so many other attendees who didnt perform... it was an AWE-INSPIRING, EXCITING, ELECTRIFYING, EXHAUSTING, BEAUTIFUL show... if you werent there, i highly suggest you check out www.mtvasiaawards.com to see the pictures from the show and the red carpet as well as find out what times we're re-broadcasting the show this month.