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Stuart G. Towns, Singaporean TV Star!

Posted by Stuart at 06:12 PM on July 08, 2006

I am sitting at Au Bon Pain at J Avenue, typing on my iBook much like I do many days. But today is different. Today I have a big video camera in my face filming my every move. Thanks to this, I am getting a lot of strange looks from the customers who walk by.

"Who is the farang? Is he a model? (He's really not all that handsome!) Is he a famous person? (I've never seen him before!)"

Nope, it's just me. Stuart G. Towns. Singaporean TV Star!

This all started several months ago. A Singaporean TV producer was searching for information on Thong Lo and found my website. She contacted me to ask me a few question about how "funky" I thought the area was. I told her straight up that the area has a very low "funk" quotient, in my opinion. It's comfortable and pleasant, but it's not terribly funky.

But she and her film crew are here this week anyway to show Singporeans how cool Thong Lo is. They have spent the afternoon with me: Interviewing me on camera in my apartment about what I think of Thong Lo. What makes it special? Why do you live here? Is it the epicenter of creativity in Bangkok?

Then, we filmed me doing various things in my apartment.

"OK, look at the TV. Pick up the remote. Change channels. Stop! Smile at something on the TV. Now read your magazine. Look up at the TV every now and then."

"OK, step out onto your balcony. Look left. Step forward and look right. Admire the building next door. Now look back to the left and SMILE!"

"Lay on the bed. Look seductive. Make love to the camera. Make love I said!"

(Ok, so I made up that last one.)

Then we went out to the street to film me getting on my motorcycle and driving off into the sunset. Then a few shots of me driving past my condo. And then the most fun of all, the camera man got on a motorcycle taxi and we did a tracking shot, with him yelling at his driver "raew raew (fast fast!) now cha cha (slow slow!)"

And now we are a few shots of me typing on the iBook outside of Au Bon Pain. Luckily it is relatively cool tonight with a nice breeze blowing through. Hopefully I'm not looking as sweaty as I usually do when I'm outside in Bangkok. They told me to just sit here and update my blog. So of course I have to write about them!

I have to admit I was a little bit nervous today before all of this started. As we talked in one of my IT classes once, I don't mind cameras in public places like elevators and shopping malls. I have nothing to hide. But having a team of professionals record my every move and my every word to be played again for an audience makes me feel a little strange.

But as it tuns out, there was no need to be nervous; it's been a very fun afternoon and evening. Being in front of the camera is not so bad after all. Or maybe it's just that I enjoy everyone around me wondering why I am so special!