Shiny Unhappy People
"A contemplative silence settles as we drive through Hartford. If you've never driven through Hartford, the effect can be duplicated in the comfort and safety of your home by going to sleep."

by Andrew Mueller for NME, 1995, p.32

Red Dot Music Stealth Cables

Red Dot Music Stealth Cables
Originally uploaded by folkstar.

a stench of isolation
what you see here is one of four cables i bought from this guy who runs red dot music, an online store with the bass player in mind. These cables are designed with the finest parts to deliver professional clarity from your instrument to your amp. the other thing that dutifully impressed me was that they created a patent for their plugs where less parts are used to greatly reduce signal loss.

plus if you see in the background, simplicity and design are achieved with the tasteful wooden housings on two of my custom built cables. testing them, they were everything RDM made it out to be and then some.

Clement didnt want to be moblogged and i wanted to prove a point.

Roots

The Oddfellows live! At Home Club, im discovering my roots go singapore's local scene with this revolutionary band. What a privilege to be here! All this happening in real time!

indie darlings
did a whole bunch of room packing today. it's been a long-awaited affair and i'm glad to have finally gotten started. the task involves sorting thru years of memorabilia and old clothes, to make room for the future. it is kinda cathartic, throwing away things of the past to see what the future has in store for you. already planning to move the desk and bed around just to free up some creative space that i'll need for any future projects.

woot. gt is back in singapore and it looks like none of leeson will be moving away for the next year at least. what does this hold in store for local music? only time will tell, but i'm already looking toward good things, positive things that things will get better. theoretically speaking, but who's counting?







are we looking at a new image for leeson

Waking up early does have its perks.. You get to eat this to die for Wan Tan Mee from Wah Kee Noodles at the Amoy Street Market

inkling thoughts
1 Peter 1:21 had this to say:

"Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God."

wow, i thought that was pretty powerful stuff after i lamented in the previous post that i didn't know what i ought to be hoping for. guess the answer was a simple, you should be hoping for God. why though? because Jesus redeemed our damned souls from death and gave us the gift of eternal life. for the non-believers, i don't know if eternal life is a concept you would choose to believe in. it's not that i fear death that makes me choose this course of religion, but perhaps on one level i fear eternal damnation. as i grow as a christian, i learn on a deeper level, that it is wiser to fear God with a holy fear, because i should be concerned with what he thinks of me the same way i am concerned with say what a certain female thinks of me. (and much more) because what satisfaction is there if all i'm living for is myself?

and i've mentioned it before, eternal death is being eternally seperated from God. and if we believe the words of the bible, then apart from God we can do nothing, and if we are forever seperated from him, then we are forever nothing. i'm guilty of wishing some days i never was a christian, but past that.. i really am nothing but my own worthless self without an eternal, everlasting and infinite God telling me that i am something.

i have hope
hmmmmm.. haven't been hoping much lately. i don't know why, i don't particularly know what i ought to be hoping for.

two posts in and this blog is now moblog (mobile blogging) enabled. the previous two pictures you saw were all taken on my spanking new mobile phone (k800i) and sent to blogger via i don't know how, but it still works. i think it's awesome that i don't have to blog from a computer anymore which literally makes this space a lot more spontaneous. be wary, i may just blog you on the fly.

we were meeting together as a team for the recording of some songs that Adrian wrote. i'm rather excited about the prospect, and the experience of what the whole thing will really be about as well. so far, music in the performance and recording aspect never really captured or portrayed my own spiritual views, but this project would seem to push me in such a direction and actually force me to examine again just what it is that propels me to pursue music or art for that matter.

Dinner time

Just chilling at dinner joint carls junior.

soundtrack to your life game/meme
okay, i haven't had this much fun for a meme but this will be all worth it if you happen to be a music geek like me. or at least a hi-fidelity cut out. you know what i mean.

here are the rules to the game:

1. open your library of music.
2. set in on shuffle.
3. press play.
4. use the first song generated to answer the first question.
5. press next.
6. use the generated song to answer the 2nd question and so on.
7. don't lie.

this is my list. rather apt considering i never saw my life in this way before.

Opening Credits:
Summer Night - Miles Davis (Love Songs)

First Day At School:
My Beautiful Life - Parking Lot Pimp (Welcome To My Frequency)

Falling In Love:
Part Time Lovers - Copeland (Know Nothing Stays The Same)

Breaking Up:
Lovin' Me - Groove Armada (Another Late Night)

Prom:
Change Clothes - Jay Z + Danger Mouse

Mental Breakdown:
Cover What You Can - Copeland (Eat, Sleep, Repeat)

Flashbacks:
Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out) - The Hombres (Elizabethtown OST)

Getting Back Together:
One Last "Woo Hoo" For The Pullman - Sufjan Stevens (Illinois)

Wedding Scene:
Share This - Soul Position

Final Battle:
Walk Alone - Jack Johnson (Bushfire Fairytales)

Death Scene:
Young At Heart - Brad Mehldau Trio (Songs)

Funeral Song:
Tonight - Groove Armada (Another Late Night)

End Credits:
Chicago - Sufjan Stevens (Illinois)

Finale:
Supermassive Black Hole - Muse (Black Holes and Revelations)

do share your lists by leaving a link in my comments box!

A night out

One night at Zouk

mass distribution
okay all, i've changed my mobile number to

+65 9750 8277

so please update your phonebooks and we can still be friends.

when gap isn't just a shop
i guess there's no need to be airing dirty laundry about my family, but damn, i don't think this particulary constitutes that. anyway, maybe i've always thought that my home would always be an exception, but i reckon that the generation gap within my household has become more apparent.

i've got a stubborn mom. she's gone thru a lot, which may have shaped her personality that way. maybe she's stubborn by my standards, i know she's many wonderful things, but i get that when i talk to her. she sticks to her cards, and no matter what you bring up as a counterpoint, she'll shoot you down without knowing it and remain justified for her actions or attitudes. it pisses me off some, it makes me want to not care some, just make it simpler for all of us. but the day we stop arguing, could be the day we all stop communicating as well. i still think friction is necessary for preventing stagnation, but it can't be the answer for everything either. perhaps, i'm just being taken for a punching bag too.

and dad's just dad. severely lacking in the emotional department, great as he is sometimes. i used to think that i would have to love my family unconditionally if i'm going to be able to love my own future family in the same way. but somehow or rather, it really is asking too much, because we come from different eras, different mindsets, different tolerences, and i'm learning to accept these different facts so that i won't just become a shadow of my parents and actually start living for my own future. it's not selfish, because i think we do respect each other's individualities in the process. it's how we function. individual social creatures.

and i'm a bit sore, because i wanted to write about something else.

moderation in small parts
it's funny how when i was in perth, i didn't really feel all grown up because of who i hung out with and how i did it. and now that i'm back in singapore, i think i've put the expectation on myself that i want to grow up. have a well paying job, wear my spiffy shirts, drive a decent car, make music that only a mature soul could appreciate. it's strange that none of these have come to fruition just yet because i'm somewhat afraid to embark on new projects and phases. nobody really tells you how to grow up, and i think i'm still sort of muddling my way thru the process.

i don't know if it's singapore or a sign of the times that you start worrying about these things. i mean, here i am falling into the trap of value-adding my life. what makes my life count? what makes it worth something? is it in the job i hold, the car i drive, the place i hold in society? whether i take care of my family, or that things between my significant other and me are all fine and dandy. as we keep up with appearances, as we (i) strive to mark my place in this world, i think somewhere along the line, i've forgotten just who it is i owe my existance to. that it's not just about the things i can accomplish, but also how much i involve my God in helping me accomplish victory in battle. for without him i am nothing, and yet i can still forget to search for everything and find nothing in the end.

a peaceful coexistance
no pictures today. it's almost like i'm making an effort to put pictures up, when maybe i shouldn't need to. the day will come when blogging becomes a burden, but i hope i'll be blind to that day. again i didn't do much after waking up at a half past twelve in the afternoon. i really should do something about this going back to sleep after breakfast syndrome. come the new year (lunar that is) i'll make it a point to start my day when i need to start the day, and end it when it needs to end. gahhh.. i'm so terribly afraid about the next phase of this life of mine. it shouldn't be like this, no it shouldn't. in the process of clearing my room, i never realised the amount of junk i've acquired these past five years. i really need to do something about it.

Jaws of Life

Jaws of Life
Originally uploaded by folkstar.

a pretty successful success story
i yawn at everything you tell me i'm supposed to achieve at, simply because i am an under-achiever.

maybe i have been, and it hasn't been the most fantastic of character traits. i am dutifully concerned though, because i have no idea just what i'm gonna make of this life. and yes, the burns have gone into my brain and it turns me a little inside out.

the jaws of life, rather scary thing despite being a beautiful wintersleep song. i guess i'm just afraid i won't make good. and maybe i have commitment problems.

save us for lost souls

so far, it's been another lazy day. sent my dad and sister to work whereby i proceeded home to sleep after breakfast. i initially set my alarm for nine forty five, but i ended up waking at eleven thirty. this is not good i remember telling myself when i groggily looked at my mobile phone which tells me the time every now and then.

i then grabbed two glasses of water and checked out the akai mpc 2000 xl online because i know someone who is selling one. i have abso-frickin-lutely no idea how to use a sampler/sequencer, and whether or not i do need one. but the prospects of a good deal activates the hoarder in me. in other news, there's a chinese new year sale for these. and i sure could use new pickups.

i'm also shelving my plans to own a 24" imac and looking at building my own pc workstation which i deem is more affordable and while slightly lacking in the software department, might be more suited to my personal needs.

took a picture of my messy table, which may symbolise my messy room. i'm going to pack it up today, and maybe go for a job in the evening because i don't fit into a pair of bermudas which i bought when i was nineteen.

holding on to a pitiful existance


this tranquil night scene is really just a well lit food mall.

i've been missing in action because i've just been having some pretty full on days showing Jeremy around singapore. or what i assume he'd like to see around singapore. also, it's good to be doing something else rather than work for ebenex music, because well, it just took up so much of my time and i could barely meet up with my friends.

for today, i basically watched Kill Bill 2, Heroes episode 15 and read more of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, while playing some online flash games. For dinner, i had the pleasure of being invited to Ivan's gathering where it was seafood galore at an eatery in Clementi West Street 2, thereafter we adjourned to Hagen Däzz in Holland Village for dessert. All in all, a rather well spent holiday after the job quitting and sending Jeremy off. is it finally time for some private space? lookin' forward to it.

a sweet sensation of love
valentine's day is coming, but it doesn't really mean much to me. i've never had to spend it with anyone, and in fact, i'm really glad that last year, instead of treating it just like any other day, or being disappointed that i had to go 'dateless' again, rather i invited a couple of my friends over to my place for a good dinner and a round of drinks. it put things into perspective because hey, if you're not seeing anyone, why force yourself for the sake of one day out of three hundred and sixty five.

am i disappointed? hardly, i think i've grown a fair bit in the emotional department that good feelings aren't just generated from being with someone you like. if anything, if i wanted to start a relationship, it would be because we enjoy each other's company, and we actually do forsee ourselves loving and honouring each other for the duration of our natural lives. we will hate each other once in awhile, but only so that there's enough friction for us not to stagnate, and find something new each day to love at the end of it. perhaps it should be a parallel with our lord and savior, whose perfect love is the inspiration for the imperfection in the way we treat our loved ones in this mortal realm.

love. is not overrated.

get inside my head
if ANYBODY ever disses me about my facsination with the "A Better Tomorrow" trilogy, watch this first.

do what you will, just do it again
my mom was part of a regular team of church-ettes who would make food every saturday morning and use it to bless the residents of Dover Road under a void deck. it's pretty cool, because food isn't overly complicated, but does who come just share their lives together with the church. i think it's cool that the church shows it cares, whether in big or small ways.

it was nice to remember such things as i woke up hungry today and mom told me that was extra macaroni on the stove-top. so here i am eating macaroni, that was used to bless people with, and eating it right now, i do believe it has.

updates were sparse because blogger didn't seem to like me.

More Or Less

More Or Less
Originally uploaded by folkstar.

beginings that don't always end
i look like i'm trying to tell you something in this photo. but people don't always listen. don't you know that listening to brian is usually beneficial to your life? simply because i spend two hours coming up with theories what it usually takes people two minutes to dawn upon. either there's that much more depth, or i'm just plain slow. or maybe i'm just plain, it wouldn't be too nice being slow.

so i wonder sometimes, we've got stupid people acting stupid but at least they make no qualms about being a jackass sometimes. i think a more seditious problem would be stupid people thinking they're smart. and maybe how we get that is when we get too self righteous in our own thinking? am i? perhaps i sound like it, and i will try not to give any more wrong impressions.

gonna stop working soon, i guess it's run its course, i'd really like a short break to do some stuff, and i've earned my keep for about two weeks of unemployment. by then it'll be chinese new year and hopefully applications for jobs will open some doors for me. i still don't particularly know what exactly i wanna do, so i think it will take a bit more deliberation. in my week sabbatical, i hope to seriously pack my room and convert it into a production space. that means packing and reogranising. i love these things, they are so exciting. out with the old and in with the new.

today doesn't seem particularly special, i woke up feeling a part of the machine. tomorrow maybe we'll wake up apart from it.

Regardless, I've Got Your Back

Regardless, I've Got Your Back
Originally uploaded by folkstar.

worthy of love
i'll believe in anything. yes, the wolf parade song. somehow it seems to be playing in my mind. but it's rather true init? we all have to believe in something, that's about one of the only things that would justify us being around for a reason.

anyway, i'm pretty bored just sitting around the shoppe not doing anything, but i've already done quite a fair bit in terms of sending out an email organising the packing of my room. i had to entertain customers for about an hour and a half, and soon i'll be leaving for worship practice. my days are long, and i don't know if i should sleep early. i'm feeling a little distressed and distracted, and i hope to find a sure footed path.

sonically, i'd like to play as intensely as possible.

so you'll tell me what i am?

hmmmmm.. either way, it's a fun quiz to do -) waddya think?

Light'em all to Kingdom Come

Light'em all to Kingdom Come
Originally uploaded by folkstar.

well, it's been awhile since the last update, but i suppose that's because i haven't really had the time to take a breather. i'm glad that things are keeping me busy in singapore and that well, various things are picking up. in fact, the past week has been absolutly busy for me, just working during the day and having band practice or other commitments in the night. and i suppose everything was rounded off on friday night when we played two sets to a stellar crowd. for a moment, everything just felt worth it.

i have a new bass, and i'm thinking of selling a few of my equipment. packing of my australian home is going underway, and hopefully everything will be cleared before the 19th of february. i'm also glad that as each day goes by, i see a little bit more of why God wants me to stay in singapore and how not to keep fighting to get back into Australia. these three years out of Australia, could be seen as the belly of the whale with reference to Jonah.

the picture shows a rather pleasant jeannie taking silly pictures with me during one of our intermissions. it's nice to have friends pop by your gigs so you don't feel so nonsensical playing to some people that you don't know.

frankly, i think ive got many things to say, but watching tv seems to take current precedence over my life right now.

recollections at a gas station
our drink driving campaign is "if you drink, go public". but all that comes to mind is people having a piss in public places. even though my relationship with australian immigration isn't that good at the moment, their slogan is makes heaps more sense with "don't drink and drive".

building the back burners


do come! it'll be fun!