the entry about blocking up an ad shoot

i am a rock, i am an island. that's pretty much the mantra that was going through my mind. in fact, this was but one of the many thoughts that were racing in my head when i arrived at the set the very afternoon. what if i wasn't exactly what they were looking for? what if they didn't like how i posed? what if i broke wind? it was making me batshit with anxiety and panicky all over.

to cut the long story short, i had a modelling job and was scheduled to pose for an upcoming sunblock advert. i was faced with the task of looking fresh, sunshine-boy-meets-boy-next-door, and modelly right in the midst of switching careers, the most strenuous and grungy of human endeavors. the ad for the new series of sun tan care products, aptly named blockup!, necessitated me changing into my "beach outfitter" mien, i.e. stripped down to bare nothing, save but a pair of board shorts. so here i was in the fitting room. the dig was a makeshift one, i gathered, which was made of a billowy velvet curtain and suspiciously feeble-looking rings that were supporting the drape.

i stepped onto the set, and it was a pretty awkward experience: the crew were carefully scrutinizing me from head to toe. sure, i love attention and all (read: megalomaniac), but never have i felt so exposed and surveyed like a study object. one crew suggested that i did military push-ups before the shoot; i guess he wanted my man-boobs to swell up like i was doing a lingerie ad. another crew was tasked to spray squirts of water on my body to enhance the look of the tan appeal, but she was so shy she didn't look where she was spraying, my face endured a bukake-esque squirtful. and i thought i was supposed to be the sheepish one.

fast forward an hour and half later, i was all swarthy from the mix of the suntan lotion and water spray, i smelled exactly like freshly extracted coconut oil. great. so anyhows, here are a couple pictures taken during the set and also photos from the official website, www.blockup.com.sg. there aren't exactly that many, because i was still recovering from the shock of having my topless photo taken in front of a set crew. nevertheless, here's it:

a pedestal for the vertically challenged, yours truly.

the crew sifting through some of the shots.

extreme left: the ever-bashful water-squirter, jac.

the lineup of sun-care products from blockup!

the final product, on blockup.com.sg

p.s.: check out their facebook app at http://apps.facebook.com/blockup/.

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