Adorn By Shinny Ong: June 2010

Remember that "Make-Up+ Photo shoot session giveaway" contest that we launched just last month? I received the last entry last week, and gosh, you have no idea how tough it was pouring through the entries trying to decide on the final 2 to put up for voting......A lot of the entries touched my heart, most had kind words for me, some were even 5 pages long, showing how much effort was put into it. At times, i felt like giving everyone a free make over!! :)

Anyhow, eventually i knew a decision had to be made. Small surprise though - because i simply could not decide on a final TWO, i had to resort to selecting a final THREE. Yes, 3 entries that i simply love.

Here are the 3 finalists!!

Entry 1: Xing Zi - To win this giveaway for her best friend - Tracy & Jerry

Her reasons:

The lady that has always been there for me, the sister that always takes care of me, the one friend that i know that i can truly count on during my hard and happy times. Rain or shine, she never fails to lift me up whenever and where ever. Thank god for having such blessings and i'm taking this opportunity to present this giveaway to my best friend, as a wedding gift. Nothing beats the beauty of art, as the saying goes: pictures paints a thousand words. I believed with a combination of both you (shinny) & Alvin's genuine care in art and professionalism, i know very well that, 40,50,60 or perhaps 70 years down the road, when they scroll through the pictures, they will definitely smile their hearts out!

Entry 2: Annie - To win this giveaway for her dad and herself

Her reasons:

This picture of my dad and I was taken 6 years ago. Now at 64 years old and long past this prime time, he is still on a job driving big truck, those gargantuan machines with 10 wheels that roar past us on the highway leaving us “shaking” is our helpless vehicles.

My siblings and I have been advising him to stop working, trying to convince him that driving under the mercy of the sun drains him both physically and mentally. We wanted him to take a back seat in work and enjoy life.

He once said to me that "The day you graduate from Uni will be my retirement day", that being the youngest in the family, I would be his last 'burden' after I am financially independent. I was on cloud nine hearing that statement and vowed to go through my exams without any failures to ensure my “financial independence” soonest.

8th August 2009 marks the day of my convocation. Yet, he did not keep to his word of retirement.

31st August 2009 welcomes my very 1st paycheck and I told him that he should really stop working, but my dad cleanly brushed it aside. He told me that with my mere fresh-grad pay, it would not be sufficient for me to have the life that I need to be a young adult in the hustling bustling city of KL.

To date, he has been, and still is that considerate, caring, and 'un-burdening' person. Born in the baby boomer generation, he is the typical strict-looking man in the family that taught his children like a school principal/disciplinary teacher. He probably smiled once in a hundred photographs, making it so difficult to find this picture of him smiling in such rejoice. This picture was taken during Chinese New Year in our hometown in Kuantan. Those 8 days were the only self-assigned annual leave days that he gave himself.

I vow to savour more of these precious moments with my dad, and document them in pictures!

Entry 3: Fooi Teng - To win this giveaway for her and her fiance

Her reasons:

I love your idea of showing your appreciation by giving away services. I think there not many out there who are doing the same thing as you. Therefore, I have decided to support you by sending this entry!

Maybe I should start with a brief introduction of myself. I am Fooi Teng, currently based in Penang (what a lovely island!). My hometown is Klang, and I studied the same secondary school as Alvin, he is my senior. I know about you through Alvin’s facebook. Since then, I visited your facebook and blog as well, and got to know that you are a make up artist.

I visit Alvin’s and your photo album regularly, browse through the photos (especially wedding/couple shoots) to check if there is any new uploaded photos. One of the main reasons of doing so is me and my love one are planning to get marry next year! =D I am doing survey on wedding/couple shoot in order to get more ideas on how I want my own pre-wedding photos to be. Make up and hair style are the main key point for a beautiful bride, I am surveying on that as well. I always go back to your photos because I like the way you put on make up and hair-dos. It is so natural, simple and nice.

I am a person who doesn’t have good make up skill. I’ve tried some make up services (for dinner purpose) and I always got disappointed on the result. So far I never met a make up artist that makes me satisfied with the make up on my face.

I start to worry if I can’t find a good make up artist to make me look brilliant for my pre-wedding photo as well as on my wedding day. When I look at those make up done by you, I feel more relief. At least I can show to the make up artist, this is what I want! Oops, you might be wonder why don’t I just ask you to handle styling for my wedding. Well, I don’t think you would want to travel all the way to Penang just for 1 customer (I am not going to have any ceremony in Klang). If you willing to do so, it will be costly also =P. I wonder how good it would be if I can have the chance to try your styling skills and Alvin’s photography skill. If I win this free photo session, I can have a collection of nice couple shoot, by you and Alvin!

Regarding photographer’s skill, well, I am not pro in photography to comment into it. But Alvin’s photos always make me feel warm and sincere.

In summary, these are the reasons why I think I deserve for the Make up + photo shoot session:

1) Most important, I like your make up and hair-do style, natural, simple yet elegant.

2) We plan to get marry next year; it would be great if I can have a collection of nice photos of us to show to our guest, in addition to the pre-wedding photo album by bridal studio.

3) If I can have the styling done by you, I can show to other make up artist that this is what I want!

4) 10th June is my birthday, and 21st June is our 4th year anniversary. If I can win this, it would be a very special and priceless present for me, and us.

Now its time to VOTE! Voting will close on 23 June 2010, and the winner will be announced after that.