Just heard about the news of Shino being freezed out in the music scene from Eugene, kinda felt really sad about it. For someone so talented, it's a waste she's being put out of a job because of some ill-fated rumour.
And I can't really wave it off as life's as such or live with it. Fact is, someone's out there to make others miserable, and to that, I think it seriously sucked.
It's hard to comprehend the vibes that people go through everyday, that hurts them perhaps, and in turn would translate into a negative energy that they wish could be borne by someone else.
Was driving home the other night when I stopped at the lights. The SUV in the next lane had 2 kids in the back seats, and I waved to the little girl when I turned. She was shy and alerted her mom in the front passenger seat. The lights hit green but we stopped again at the next light. I waved again, and this time, she smiled, giggled and hid her face. It made her folks smile, it made me and angel smile.
That's what I call sweet. Hope your day is sweet. :wink:
Waves after waves of panic hit me today, cos the horror-scopes said that alliances will be broken, and war will break~! Heck, I'm not gonna wait till that happens so I'm holing myself at home. [LINE] It's interesting how grown people react to very basic things like lessons and tests. Not like they have not taken them before, but it's like...the childishness just takes over, lamenting about homework and lousy friends and bitchy teachers.
So the story goes, I'm conducting this 3-day course for 4 students starting Monday, and already one of them is lamenting on HER blog about how much materials to study.
Prior to that, another student bitched about the schedules of the class being late in the evening which will really drag the day. I mean...I heard that from my peers at 12 years old, but grown kids?! Quit whining people! It'll be fun! Besides, the only penalty for wrong answers for your practical test is a pack of cigarettes per question. No big deal. [LINE] Bg deal news this past week:
- group overdose on seafood over 3 nights, heavy lao sai and sweating reported; - clown bloggers arrested and headlined over dumb personal remarks; - sleepwalking interrupted with supper calls, man gets cranky;
That's the news brief tonight folks. Would have more tomorrow after 4 pesky whiny kiddofied-adults end their lessons.
It's hard to go unnoticed when things screw up because... tada~ you guessed it! it makes the rest look more heroic! [LINE] There's been that opener lines which I've been adding to my posts lately - a little like wise-words but mostly "duh" stuff! LOL.
Anycase, the thunderstorm cleared out real fast tonight especially with the low hanging clouds. It's a nice cool night to be sleeping away I'm very sure.
We finally caught a movie after weeks of contemplation and we had to settle for Sounds of Thunder. Okay, not my first choice movie of the season, but it was, like many others, a no-brainer teasing movie. Gawd, you should see the dinos...they are so pixelatedly real!
And guess what...I rushed out to get the tickets for the last Quidam show in town, and they extended the runs a week more. Talk about successful marketing and I still fell for it. Tamadez~ Am I THAT much of a marketing sucker?
It's 4 plus in the morning, doesn't it remind you of a certain song? Ha~ For those of you baffled, try http://www.nightalive.com/ and download the song "Heart".
Now I've finally figured why I blogged quite a bit recently - with the G5 by the bedside, it's hard not to. And now that I've moved it out... [LINE] Heavens were kind yesterday with the cool weather, probably that of the ghosts of Katrina and the latest chilling the rest of the world with their breadths. Sympathies go to the victims. [LINE] I've been quite stoned this morning. Think I'm gonna hit the sack. Sleep well world. :wink:
Send me an angel knock me off my feet. [LINE] I've been getting restlessly excited about some upcoming events that will rock ma own sockz~ Not that I'm not happy about things happening, but I can't seem to start it - a little bit of starting the engine and it runs but no destination to head for.
Anycase, a little beat. Gonna see what holds next. :wink:
Wouldn't usually do this - not that I'm some sage or famed writer - but just for the records, here's a semi-detailed flashback. [LINE] I'll always remember what Kevin said on "Wild Night" upon hearing 'Broken Wings - Night Mix' on the Radio: "A couple of friends called to say my song's on radio, and I went 'I know I know! I'm trying to listen to it now!'"
Perhaps, and to a large extent, I related to that.
It all began with itchy fingers clicking away on the mouse - I was in a lull after leaving one of my ex-companies, and had absolutely no jobs or commitments to think about. I decided to just do something about my own interests, and threw myself into Nightsound's array of projects and plans.
I remember clicking along some local band sites and finally connecting to this 'Jealousy Studios' site - cliche at first, but I thought, what the heck - there's got to be a reason. In it, mizeryFree was so faintly and barely mentioned, a whole lot of useless links till I got to this downloads sample page - that's when I heard 2 songs, 'Fade Away', and 'Broken Wings'.
That very next day I had the songs downloaded and practically shoved down everyone in the team. "Nice" was the general comment at first, but I took it quite seriously. I sent an email out to the band, and Steve replied a couple of days later, with much sceptism of course. A producer writing out of the blue to help the band? I thought it was crazy too.
Weeks after, we finally met up at some off-corner coffeeshop - I didn't quite understand myself at first; perhaps it was the anxiety to start a project, or it could be due to my affections over the songs. I sold the idea of getting their EP done, head-on. The band were somewhat blown over by that enthusiam. Angel and Joshua were practically prepared to admit me into some mental instituition. But the stage was therefore set to something really impossible.
To begin with, MF was practically unknown, and the music were too self-indulgent for the masses. I would like to believe they had the potential, but looking at them - a dis-jointed group of musical misfits (somewhat) getting together to be in a band - was quite an impossible task. Eric was a keyboardist half-trapped in Beethoven and Glay, and Arthur? Gawd - he was practically studying the bass frets hoping to catch the next magical sequence on it; Steve was this moto-head with very little clue about his own existance; Kevin the depressing shell of a young man. And Jiehui - I mean, I never knew zombies existed in real life.
Okay, perhaps I over-reacted or exaggerated the characters, but hey, I was excited at the prospects of getting these guys to do their EP.
Actual work began only months after countless meetings with the band. They were understandably suspicious, and work on the EP simply dragged. The skills had to be polished, the songs had to be arranged, and the band's morale - darn, it was rock bottom like WWII's live-firing zone. I had to come up with something real quick to whip the band into work-mode, and I finally arranged 'Broken Wings' into this somewhat NewAge piece.
I recalled the reaction from Kevin - he sat and listened and went numb. Yes, so numb as if he was frozen by Medusa. And that's when the excitement really set in.
We subsequently arranged for a really convenient off-peak hour to have him record the vocals at AMX. He did, not to perfection, but decently enough for my submission to the station. At that time I was featured on Passion, and the station guys were really keen to have a listen to 'Broken Wings - Night Mix'. In between, the guys started getting their acts together by signing up for gigs. A couple came and went.
Some time in 2003 I think, they had a little performance down at Serangoon, playing to a mixed crowd of residents and music fans. We were there full force to render support. Oh, I recalled, they finished a set at the Library@Esplanade before this one, and were really hyped about the show here (the gig at the Library was an acoutic set that very much presented the band in a new light - it was excellent if not for the poor live sound control).
Coming back, they played and I thought it was just, simply well-done. Watching the guys grow from strength to strength was just - amazing. And that night, honestly, they showed a maturity I had never seen before in the band and after a string of dumb gigs. Dumb because the other shows had no crowd, had no acoustics, and had practically no support. Still, they started showing confidence within that one gig, which was lacking for too long in the band.
As they finished, I vividly remember applauding and cheering. Kevin strut off the stage like a victor, and mingled with his friends before coming over. I was really happy for them, and Kevin, for he had searched for himself way too long. As he came over, I had to just thrash him. I could not let him get off that easy.
It's difficult to explain in the greatest detail, but gaining confidence was a difficult balance of being sure and being too sure. I could not bear to watch a band of this potential go "too-sure" and crash. And perhaps for the fact that the band grew close (to me), my words were also way too weighty.
I told Kevin straight on - play to the crowd, not to the band itself. Enjoy, but don't indulge. In a split-second, I felt those words knife through him like it did, me.
Then Steve came over. Kevin asked why, and I said they were a little too complacent. Then Eric came over, and Steve asked why they were too complacent, and I offered that they were too sure the crowd would love them. Then Eric looked blank and Steve asked, "Really?" I nodded, and Arthur and Jiehui came over. And I went on explaining the basics of humilty till it hurt.
I remember Arthur commotioning my speech that night as a sledge-hammer in the face. I knew it would be. But one good gig and plenty of applause before this one, plus a strong crowd of fans to watch them was just too much temptation to be pompous and proud. I had to do what I did - strip them naked and parade them shameful. What I did was controversial for sure. But in my shoes, where can I stand? Where should I stand? [LINE] Before long, I set up a special session to "test"-record the band at the attic of Fly-E, plus a photoshoot by Joshua. The drums were pre-recorded at Myx and brought down to get the rest of the recordings done. It was not exactly a failure, but the acoustics weren't right - there were just too many things that went on. It was just a good bonding for the band, especially after having to pick up the pieces from my harshness before this.
Home was set up shortly after, and MF got into this little competition where I was one of the panel of judges. They shone, with humility, and practically won the crowds over. At this time, a lot of changes went on for the band - the guys were toughened by their string of shows and their skilles had been improving by leaps through long hours at the jam studios.
And the EP recording finally began.
Throughout the sessions, the guys were (LOL) afraid of my presence. They'll screw up real bad whenever I hung around, even though Joshua was the recording engineer. They became so merticulous about their work, so much so that an ant wouldn't be missed crawling through their scores. Not to say that I was mean or scary or non-condusive, but the guys wanted more than what we would have simply settled for - an EP. They wanted an album to call their own in every way.
At this juncture, I was struggling to convince the Team to press on with the production, and to persuade Home to give me the greenlight to carry on with the album. The Team started to break during this time, as we had different opinions over the production and marketing itself; the directors were getting impatient and restless with my time spent on it. The worst bit: I was suffering from Chronic Bronchitis that greatly affected my health and concentration.
Then the day came - the recording of the final song, "Broken Wings (Fallen Angel)". The band agreed on a stripped down piano and vocals version, but after countless takes, they were still getting nowhere. I finally took over - 2 takes into my session with them, I could not hold it anymore - the guys weren't playing, they were reciting.
I stopped them promptly and had them listen to a whole passage of theories about playing their music. They seemed to understand, but I had to make sure. I sent the guys in for the last take and ushered one last advice, "Play it for the moment. This moment."
And that was the take, grinding both Eric and Kevin into crying babies. But hey, we had the take!
The mixing process for the music was excruciating - Home almost pulled the plug, the Team broke, and my mom fell really sick. My reservations were stretched beyond my own comprehension and to the extent even Angel could not help difuse. I was in so much mental torture and pain, my health deteoriated quickly, and life became disorganised beyond measure. But all these while, my brave front deceived all, including my family, to believing I was okay even though I felt so much to stop.
But I could not understand why "Listen" had to be finished, alongside "Nicotine Induced" by Mistaken Identity. And I finally remembered - nobody gave me that shot, but these guys can have one if I bothered. It became clear, and I just pressed on.
Now, do not take me as some pompous proud bastard trying too hard to make myself saint - I learnt so much from these guys; if I was not given, it doesn't mean I can't give, and if the guys were not given, they'll end up just like me. Under-achieved. [LINE] I saw them moments ago at Bar None (I actually stopped typing for a while to try find the right words). They were stellar.
All I know is, their hard work were not in vain, stars in their own rights, creators of magic, and proof of impossibilities. That was mizeryFree I saw "live", on-stage, at Bar None, playing to a filled room moments ago.
When they played 'Perceptions', I clearly remember not agreeing to giving the band my files of the added arrangements that I did for the album version - Kevin and Eric wanted to try have it played in accompaniment for their gigs, but I subtly refused; I just wanted them to count on themselves.
And I remembered Jiehui telling me once, that I was an inspiration. And Steve telling me once that he appreciated me and what I did for the band, and Arthur thanking me once for guiding him and the band, and Eric commenting once that MF lived because of my support, and Kevin saying to me once, that I had to audition for the lead vocals if I wanted to join the band when he leaves for Australia. Damn.
And it nearly moved me to tears when I heard them play the song earlier on. As much as I have tried to help in whatever ways I can, they have shown me much more than they ever know. I treasured their work, friendship, and trust.
But to know that this was their last gig for a while, it really ached. [LINE] Classic moments were many. I value many things in life, and one thing is music, and its creation. MF poured much heart, soul and sweat in the making of the band and its music, and to know that they are still humbled by themselves speaks volumes of a humble start to a glorious finish. Yes, it is true they are on a break for now, but praises and hopes aside, the true future is yet written, and I hope I live long enough to see it happen. [LINE] mizeryFree. You rock. :wink:
So right, I had this party right, to celebrate the mid-autumn festival right, and i got all these friends over right, and my family were around right, and they like played this dumb poker game right, and everyone got to drink like tons right, and the laterns were forgotten right, so what kind of celebration for the mid-autumn is that, RIGHT? [LINE] Okay. So it was kind of last minute to get everyone down to a little get together - River came~ (and that's a good rock band), together with some of the good folks from the mizeryFree camp, as well as the Sisterhood. There weren't particularly anything special except to sit around and chat. Of course, cards were on the house and everyone got their just-forfeits... though if I may add, it's purely a game of chance. [LINE] Rewind 2 hours: DARN! I was with Eugene on the sides and we were like thinking if we should actually play. The place was filled slightly with incoming bands and outgoing ones who have done their set, but fact was, the sound system did no justice to any band at all. Everyone sounded crap, and worst of all, they had to be M.R. bands.
Sorry, I can't help it, but it's just that sometimes such bands can be quite skewed towards poseurism and can be rather unendearing towards others. I think I've said enuff~
Anyways, we finally got our ass up on stage cos they had us mapped in like 5 minutes away. We just thought might as well get it over and done with. We did it and zoomed after 2 juggies, not really keen to find out the response already. We'll see how things go anyway.
There's something about slow motion that everyone likes - that slow release of energy and discovery, revealing what's to come in stretched moments and slowly proliferating the subject. And when it stops, its as good as losing sight. [LINE] I've been quite serious about the news of 2 bloggers arrested this week for racist commentaries on, you guessed it, their blogs. To begin with, I think it is a simple case of ranting in the dark, and throwing a punch in the face of equilibrium.
I can understand why the authorities took it in stride to even try prosecute these two - just like the Tien An Men incident - the world is watching and Deng had to send a strong message out to his people. But then again, taking it out on the minorities and suppresing resentment yields greater hatred in others within the same frequencies of those in question.
On the flip side, blogs were created to express views - personal ones at best - about how one looks and views the world around him/her. Of course, arguments like "have to know better than to make a racist remarks in speech or in writing", or "expressing views in a more diplomatic format" comes hot on the heels, but considering the consequences of creation and suppression - both are the synthesis of thoughts. So what would be a good thesis to build this on?
Say, I blog about my bad day which had me getting cheesed off with poor traffic control by the authorities when a fire broke out at a worksite just 2 blocks down my place. Realistically, my peers would say I'm bitching about it, older folks would say I complain too much, kids would be like "wtf?", the authorities would like "arrest this guy!", and most of all, the guys fighting the fire would be like "huh?".
Point is, besides the different perspectives of people involved, what really went on was:
1. ignorance to the actual event/situation, in this case, the fire; 2. the significance of my words as opposed to a larger group.
If there were only my peers in this world, then I would be just bitching. If there were only children, I would be mind-boggling. Thing is, what the social norms have instilled have become so stagnated till people no longer think. We have become so tuned into this myriad world of past thinking - social science for that matter - that utopian thinking is still a thing of the past. But to the Chinese, hey, communism is perfectly fine. To the Iraqis, scarves are still a must-have.
Norms. What are your norms?
So my biggest question is this - should one day you get a chance to rent a plane and paint the sky with colored smoke, so that you can ask your love to marry you, would you get arrested by the authorities for causing panic, or get hunted down by activists who think you're polluting, gunned down by terrorists who think you sent the wrong message to their compatriates, or even get laughed at by unknowing people who thinks your love's name "TINNIE" is funny?
So where's a little fun in life no more? [LINE] Seriously: I value freedom as much as breathing fresh air in the morning (even though there isn't any no more). Tolerance is not a virtue any more, but a neccessity for all that mess which we have created out of norms. And what are norms - something everybody thinks is okay. Cited: if RAPE is a norm here, what then? In some existing tribes, forcing yourself on your neighbor is a norm cos everyone gets satisfied anytime of the day. Here, that's rape. Watch a little more Discovery Channel or Nat-Geo and you'll know what I mean.
Yes, so much for being cultured. Spare the formalities and live where you want to be. Personally, I just wanna live in a world that's only Radio City. [LINE] Okay, recap a little - a fire did break out a street away from my block. Think the road works hit a gas pipe and it blew into quite a flame. Didn't see any paramedics so I would assume nobody got hurt, but the traffic got a little jammed up for a couple of hours. Really appreciate the people in uniform who tried to control the situation. Good or bad, it's up to the cabbies to decide if they did a good job. Just glad those who did their work didn't get hurt and struck to their posts.
Been a pretty lazy day. :wink: [LINE] Disclaimer: If the above views are offensive to anyone or have involuntarily caused hurt, friction, or anything dire, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I don't live in your world and shared the same thoughts, and it's a shame we could not be friends because of this dumb difference.
The first option on the left panel. So that's what I did! [LINE] I've been thinking what to do of late - rise to the occassion or just go with the flow. Movies, bowling, whatever else don't quite capture me no more. Business, work, money are all that occupies me~ Eeeee. Okay okay, it might all be good~ [LINE] Tralala~ universal truth. [LINE] Here's a bedtime story for a change:
Piggy went to the market one day to look for some of his favourite cabbages for a sumptuos dinner with a couple of close friends whom he had not met for a while and they were all pretty keen to be at Piggy's place for dinner that day to catch up on how they have all been doing lately and whatever other things that they have been missing out on one another. So Piggy bought some cabbages fresh from the market. The end.
Let's see, I wanted to check something really important online, but it somehow just slipped my mind. Okay. Maybe that's a good thing. [LINE] I've got a neat week lined up - something's happening tomorrow and Friday, I can't remember, but I've got a couple of interesting dates on Saturday, the competition on Sunday, and a seminar to give on Monday. Now, if I'm not lucky to get all these, I don't know what else to bank on! [LINE] Of course, I wish I could be as much a glutton as tralala~ but then again, no harm staying the way I am even though I do look arbitrarily malnourished.
Any case, I got a new piece of advice today from someone younger than I am - there's really no point thinking about something when you can't do no nothing about it. Might as well just move as planned and see what comes. Great advice.
Long overdue - Jean...missed ya, hope you'll be back soon! Sab, Cherisse, Alicia...chill out more often yeah? Euge and Alan, Boon and Ed...guys, RIVER rocks! We gonna win this silly competition, lest we crash till nothing's left! Red, hold on to your horses! I'm coming! Angel, um...for a change, you love me! Mom, dad, sises take care of yourselves lots man. Bro, can't wait to have you home. Clay, I'll see ya tomorrow night! Darn. Now I remember. Yes, I'm meeting Clayton tomorrow night. Gammy, I'm coming!
All the rest - it's 3am Singapore time...I'll try to brush your names in the next time! :wink: Meantime, take care and many loves!
Yes, finally made our way there! jaz, Eugene and me! Somehow just got together, sang a couple of tunes, and we all had our wishes: me chilling, Jaz in an alternative joint, Eugene with his beers.
And I must say, the next table were all trained man! Song after song! And to the couple in the corner...darn, I know how much you guys wanted to take off your clothes! :wink:
The cigarette smell on the finger tips are really getting irritably unconvincing. Not that the world is done with me, nor vice versa, but one thing I've come to realise - I'm still counting on myself alot. The buzz to get around with people died as soon as I had it going, and for a really good reason. I don't know why.
So there's this little thought - in jest, were people begin to transform into a high-tech mecha of selfish, mindless souls, where does that leave tenderness, love, and garbage.
I wrote my biggest dream and my worst nightmares side by side all the time, embedded in timeless pieces that are now freely available - online - yet, where does the solace and peace begin. Someone ever said to me that luck is this and that, and hardwork pays ...................................
Know what. Drop it.
It's just that, I live with people everyday - a giant people show, a peepshow, and I'm just the co-host.
"Tears stream down your face When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face I promise I'll learn from my mistakes Tears stream down your face And I
Lights will guide you home And ignite your bones And I will try to fix you"
- Probably the most beautiful lines I've ever come across till this point. [LINE] I've been quite divided over many things lately, namely cos there's been a huge drift between my memory and my intents. Not that its a bad thing, I'm just a little disorientated with what I need to do with what I want to do. [LINE] News have been spreading - perhaps like wildfires and I could be wrong - my plans have been sort of, over-exposed for my own good. I think I talk too much sometimes, then again, conversations dry real quick when topics run out. Okay. I love to yack.
Let's see - the latest in newsflash: I'm hooked onto this song, dad's got a new car, mom's lightening up a lot (not cos of the car), sis's back to school to teach, the other sis now busy with a new flat, and bro's coming home for holidays soon. And I got to be up in a matter of hours to Godsis's kiddoe's first month celebrations. Frankly, they're nice, just that we're really outta touch. [LINE] Got to know this kid online few days back. Sweet little chap with a big heart, although a bit of a snob cos he's the only child I think. Nonetheless, he taught me this: ACBC. Alright, I admit I'm old and outta touch but this really tickled me big time: Act Cute Buay Cute. Tamadez, and he meant me. Fine. I'll be ACBC for all I care, but I'm still me~
So. What's happening with everyone else besides that walking ACBC glutton who's been posting mega-sinful tags on the left side? :wink: Let's see who upgrades to ACSBC yeah? Act Cute Si Beh Cute. :D
Well, at least the name beats The Cornies. [LINE] So, we've finally submitted the forms with all that needs to be attached, and now all we need to wait for is the date to play! Muahaha. Okay okay, I know I've been pretty mean on the tag board even though I behave like a kid now, but hey, what goes around comes around - just getting my just deserves. :wink:
Well, so who's going to render your tender support for this band of clowns? :wink:
This just in - it's empty. [LINE] Well well, let's see. There are people getting famous just blogging, and here I am bantering away about the poor state of upkeeping and updating of mine own. Now which is better - my little aclove of secrets or the world stage of publicity.
And after years off the stage, I'm climbing back on for the fun of it! I'm taking part in a band competition again! Woohoo! Leaving the company brought some interesting people together after all!
There's been so many songs about time - about losing time, about having time, about waiting time, about wasting time. One song I'd like to hear about time - making it. [LINE] 2 wretched hearts in a matter of days, very coincidental, and very wrenching. For me, one big heavy heart still on the mend.
Let's put it this way, if days passed like the four seasons, then it's really hanging up all the loose ends and making none meet. Carrying on is leaving other good things out. might as well get it over and done with. Girl, you should think about coming home - not that it'll make anything better, but at least I'll be here to kick your ass to your senses.
As for the other, well well, agendas agendas. I don't live in my own perfect world, though I still try as much to conform - thing is, investing hastily into something that is more of a yearning than sincerely from the heart won't work. Oh, yeah, this ass I kicked, but I don't think I want to keep having to kick it. [LINE] Saturday was supposed to be a brilliant day, finally got a couple of errands struck out and getting a bit of a shopping done - I really want some time to dedicate to my well-being, not having to accomodate others. Yes, selfish for once. But when I am, I upset those who goaded me to do so. And when I'm not, I upset myself.
It's all so customer service.
Nonetheless, got a pair of neat sneakers, a rugged sling bag, a couple Ts, a new pair of jeans, and some new accessories. When was the last time I really shopped? Last year before Christmas. :wink:
Just heard about the news of Shino being freezed out in the music scene from Eugene, kinda felt really sad about it. For someone so talented, it's a waste she's being put out of a job because of some ill-fated rumour.