Project Alpha

Since I started reading blogs some 3-4 years ago, I've always followed closely a number blogs and I've always wondered how the blogger I follow every day is like in real life. You know, is she exactly like how she is on her blog? Where does she stay? What does she do for a living?

Those are questions I always pondered upon. Then Ming and I started Nuffnang. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of these bloggers and get to know how they're like in real life. Some are different than in their blogs, but some are strikingly similar. I've always thought that it would be cool to have a show about the lives of bloggers. Now with Nuffnang, I know a lot about blogs but I know very little or actually nothing about producing a TV Show.

Then by some really cool story I met the people at Kyanite. This guy named Michael and the host Jojo Struys who both had experience producing loads of TV content provided me with an option to make my dream come true. So after months of planning and looking for funding, we're finally filming the show. It's called "Project Alpha" - Uncovering Malaysia's Top Bloggers with Adidas Action 3 as the title sponsor.

Shooting for the show just started a few days ago and Princess was one of the 7 bloggers that we were going to feature in Season 1. So this morning we were all up at 7AM for the start of the shoot.

This is how sleepy Princess was.

Even the camera crew that arrived early at Princess' home fell asleep while waiting for everyone else to arrive.

It was too early for anyone to be up on a Sunday morning. But soon enough, more of the crew came... including two full-time make-up artists whose responsibilities were to constantly touch-up Princess' make-up.

One of them even put make-up on me. 

At first I resisted and cursed the idea... but after seeing what she did to me I was impressed. She completely hid all my pimples on my face. Look how smooth my face it? Like baby backside.

I started wondering for a while why guys don't just wear make-up every day like girls do... then I remembered that most of the time, pimples or no pimples... how we look doesn't bother most of us enough to take the time for make-up. 

I'm not going to spoil the show before it comes out so I'm not going to the details but it was basically us just following Princess around on her Sunday. I was in it for quite a lot since I was a big part of her day (and her life haha) and we had a lot of really funny moments. I think it'll be fun to watch,

I learned a few things today too! See that thing on top that looks like a mop?

That's called a BOOM. Something I learned today, among many other movie terms. It's meant to be like a mic that is held high enough to avoid the camera frames but low enough to catch our voices. That's Michael, the Director briefing Jojo, Princess and me about something.

We ended the day at Hitz.FM all the way in Technology Park Malaysia, Bukit Jalil. We were there to do a radio interview about the show with Adam C. 

At first we thought that we were just doing a pre-recording but we much later only found out that whatever we said went out to the world just a few minutes later.

Junior at Hitz.FM didn't make it any easier for us. He said "What you guys just said just went out to 1.3 million listeners out there".

The people at Hitz were really great though. 

Both Adam and Junior were really really friendly and they did a lot of stuff to help clean up the screw-ups Princess and I made. Adam is the guy on the most left and Junior is the guy on the most right.

We finally ended at Hitz.FM at around 8.30PM, after our interview segment that went live at around 7-8pm. Michael the Director motioned a circular movement with his hand and said "Okay everyone... it's a wrap!" and everyone in the crew started clapping. We had been filming for 12 hours straight, today alone.

It was indeed quite an experience to have... being filmed for a show for the first time in my life. And being interviewed on the most popular English language station in the country.

Project Alpha is going to be out in September so remember to catch it then. I hope it will be as fun watching it as it was fun making it.