listening to pedro the lion is like having coffee with a long lost friend. cheesy as that sounds.
it was a constant companion to my playlist back in uni.. though i didn't have a girlfriend, nor was i breaking up, nor going thru any emotional upheaval, there was something about the song 'options' that was both tragic and hopeful at the same time.
"... i could never divorce you it's always good to have options... but for now, i need you..."
the simplicity in songwriting, arrangement, accompaniment, melody.. they all somehow found a frail place in the universe, took root and somehow.. spread their tendrils into the corners of my heart.
B-roll footage from David Bazan's upcoming "Alone at the Mic" DVD
Waffletown and i have quite a bit of history together. I basically grew up eating Waffletown as a kid, when mom would buy back fried chicken, mashed potatoes and the awesome waffles with ice-cream home for lunch. maybe i was a pretty spoiled kid. lesse, i'd probably need to have been in primary school if i were to count back the number of years its been since i've eaten their food.
probably about fourteen years.
imagine my excitement when my friends decided we'd actually have dinner there before one of our poker sessions.
Stepping into Waffletown is really a slice of nostalgia. the outlet at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre has since moved to Balmoral Plaza, and it's the only existing outlet left in Singapore. i think most of the crew is still the original staff, and amidst all the fast food outlets in Singapore modernising themselves, Waffletown preserves a lot of that 80's charm
the ambiance is suitably the way it's always been, and it really is a taste of things to come. i was excited to hear how my friends were going re-live a fragment of their past
it may not look like much, but these burgers make no qualms about not being gourmet, and just good plain'ol junk food for the soul
don't you wish you were the one sinking your teeth into this?
i opted for the three piece fried chicken meal.
this was absolute joy. it tasted more local than KFC, and probably reminiscent of the fried chicken you find at western food stalls in hawker centres. but it was so oily, crispy and it just added to the whole flavour of a real 80's diner. the coleslaw and mashed potatoes were just the way i remembered them as well.
and that's the thing that's so amazing about Waffletown, after 14 years, the food tastes EXACTLY the same! it all dawned onto me as i plunged into my first bite of the waffle ala mode blueberry with vanilla ice cream.
the same blueberry sauce, the same waffle batter, and the same non-gourmet ice cream that they've been using for years! consistent good food, despite the changing world around us, Waffletown is in a stasis lock, and a welcome haven for those who remember it.
i've got nothing against gourmet ice cream like Haggan Daaz, Ben & Jerrys, Island Creamery and the multitude of other similar chains, but there's a certain confidence about an establishment that doesn't see a need to compete with other market forces, and change their look, style or food.
it's just the way it's been, and just the way we like it -)
every now and then, something interesting pops into your life when you least expect it, especially when it's something you know not many people know about either.
for those of you who remember steph song, she charmed many hearts as an FHM cover girl, and later on acted in a few TCS programmes. and then she disappeared off the face of Singaporean TV.
I guess she went back to Canada where she's originally from (i read FHM articles, not just ogle).. and to prove that i read, i've been reading douglas coupland's jPod. and being from the internet generation, i google jPod to find out more about it, only to find a series was being made. i youtubed "jPod" and found this trailer:
which i then found out that steph song was acting as the jPod character, Bree, a sassy motion capture artist who tries to sleep with every man she meets (or so it says in her character's bio in the novel)
i mean, can you blame us? or her?
so anyway, my point is that: jPod is one of the better things i've been reading, and now i've just downloaded the first episode and it's currently into it's fourth episode. and this is another reason why the Internet is a valuable tool for the discerning consumer of his media. jPod, you are a geek's dream book, and now.. slightly funny drama series based on the same novel. coupland would be proud, he is after all the series's executive producer.
All in all, Stasis 10 was a pretty killer gig for Leeson. It was great playing to a crowd that was there to listen to local music, and the reception they gave was very encouraging and made me glad i'm a part of this scene. We played all our songs the way we wanted to play, and i think we pulled off one of the best versions of The Simple Life.. wonder if anyone has a recording of our set.
check out pictures by Ivanified here and snaps by Perplexed here.
and to close this post, check this awesome video of my friends, Mathilda and the Motherfunkees, and tell me they do not deserve to make it big and be up there with some of the music greats internationally as well?
i used to be a production student, and so i was trained to shoot video in the highest possible format, and also be technical in the way i approached my cinematography, production, what format to shoot on, what format to export to and all the things that go in between. i shan't say i'm very good, but i guess i wasn't too shabby either.
anyway, fast forward a year, i find myself in the PR industry as opposed to production, and i found myself still holding on to those processes. i'd want to edit with professional software like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premeire Pro, but getting my hand on the software and hardware was an issue altogether, i just wasn't earning enough to equip myself with a semi-professional studio.
enter: my epiphany that social media has flourished because processes were simpler.
my ethos now, to borrow Masamune Shirow's Appleseed quote: functional simplicity, structural complexity
i want technology that works. at the push of a button, processes are automated, a product of high quality through the automation process, and then perhaps an improvement of a process when customised by the human touch.
anyway, my point is this, after i decided on this, i ditched trying to get my HD camcorder to work with my offline editing programme, and got a video recording of my band's performance through my point-and-shoot digital camera, which records a compressed .avi file. after which, i edited in Windows Movie Maker, exporting to a .wmv format, and then using a video converter, i converted it into a .mp4 format. Which is now ready to be hosted on youtube.
Absolute Beginners
and the good that came out of this, is that my video converter is my new maxim in wonderful ones and zeros. it converts most formats (.flv .avi .mpg) into .mp4 which seems to be the language of ipods, mobile phones, mobile devices, portable media players and video hosting sites such as youtube.
the complexity of social media, powered by a single "convert now!" button on this beautiful piece of software. i now enjoy videos on the go through my ipod, from stuff i've downloaded off the net. next up, figuring out how video podcasting works in syncing with my ipod, and perhaps starting my own vodcast! we'll see..
maybe you know the answer to this, why i haven't been updating of late, but i suppose that the correct answer would be that i haven't the time these days.. which is rather astounding, considering the frequency which i used to post in the past few years.
anyway, my mind's a blank, sorry i can't add much value to this post, but if you must know, my busy-ness has not been in naught. you can find the fruits of a recording session here at www.myspace.com/leesonsg. the new leeson song is called "absolute beginners", you'll love it. i know these things.
one point brilliance has also finished recording another song, so maybe that will be available soon as well -)
i've also been getting into the nextmen's latest single: something's got you
and if you haven't gotten your hands on joe henry's latest album, civilians, check his EPK out here with a stellar performance of "time is a lion"
You have quite a sense of humor, though many others find it derisive rather than appealing. You are perceived as being a coward, but actually have moments of great bravery and have even stood up to those much larger than yourself. You like hanging out in groups and are always making a lot of noise. Disney thinks you are an idiot.
i discovered this band about three years back, was crazy about them, lost their music in the great hard drive crash of 2006 and totally forgot about them till now. and omigosh, how i love the lyrics..
Agnes What if I cut my wrist just because You made me like this. I want You to show me what love is. What if the fifth car would take us anywhere but far away. I want You to drive me home tonight.
We've got absolutely nothing in common. Except for the fact that we're stuck in this place. We're completely God forsaken. And I have not truck with with You or Your grace. Homophobice explanations dragging me around and around again. Stroboscopice expectations dragging me around and around again.
What if I have no friends just because You named me Agnès. I wish I was someone else some where else any where but far from here. I wish I was someone else some where else any where but far from here.
Homophobice explanations dragging me around and around again. Stroboscopice expectations dragging me around anfd around again. We've got absolutely nothing in common. Except for the fact that we're stuck in this place. We're completely God forsaken. And I have not truck with with You or Your grace.
You don't care about my feelings my emotions don't mean anything to You. What love's for You ain't love for me. I can't love You like You love me
Agnes means pure, and holy in Greek
Real Life Motion Picture Soundtrack Can I save your life. Lift you up to the sky. How far is heaven. Let's go tonight.
Don't give up on me hanging there. Don't you die on me please keep breathing. 'Cause it's a lie that your better of dead. This is not a movie no happy endings here.
If you are not there I don't want to go I'd stick by your side and follow you back home. I'd give up forever I'd trade in my life just to be with you. Just to be with you just to be with you.
Don't give up on me hanging there. Don't you die on me please keep breathing. 'Cause it's a lie that yor better of dead. This is not a movie no happy endings here.
You are a car crash, train accident It's inevitable. The kingdom is at hand. Hey Randell are you well where would you be. Please Randell can you tell are you gonna be fine.
'Cause it's a lie that your better of dead. This is not a movie no happy endings here. No happy endings here. No happy endings here.
first things first, in preparation for 2007's compilation, this is my shortlist for song of the year so far. if you wanna have a vote, leave a comment -) but the important thing is to just enjoy good music when you come across it.
i just got to know about this yesterday when thomas introduced them to me. their producer is the same one produced dj shadow's seminal debut, entroducing. it shows in the production quality, but more than that, it's the haunting keyboards, ambient scratches, breakish bass, classic drums of death and that soulful voice that goes just a little scared of being lonely...
this song stood out for me from a weekend in the city. the song is bleak, disenfranchised and utterly depressing. the sense of slow motion night clubs come to play, and you can almost see the people dancing in slow motion as we fill our lives with some noise to fight the silence. great guitar riff at the end as well.
Because we are so handsome and we are so bored So entertain us, tell me a joke Make it long, make it last forever Make it cruel just make me laugh We can't be hurt
it's actually an old song, but was re-recorded for the spiderman 3 soundtrack, so it counts. to me, this is the quintessential guitar riff for 2007. i have no idea how he gets that hiroshima inducing tone, and the squelchy pixies-like firebursts during the chorus compliment the mad turnstile drums of brian chase's drumming and of course the ever drunk but syren-like Karen O make this my instant classic for 2007
as cities burn - terrible! how terrible for the great city!
song starts at 1:00
am I a monster when I sink my teeth into her when I don't love her no, I don't love you forgive me darling, but love has nothing to do with this it has nothing to do with how I can't stop until I get what I want from you
this is what real men keep quiet it doesn't exist if you can hide it behind your teeth and sleep at night next to your wife who you love too much to tell her you don't love her at all
I just feel as empty as the lungs of those waiting in the womb do you feel as empty as the lungs of those waiting to come into this world where being beautiful means being used
how long will we blame the devils on our shoulders and pose like angels on the outside when all I am is a monster
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
kill me adrian, kill me again, with love
dear yuen, why do you do the things you do? but we all had a good laugh, and love you all the same and more because of it. -)
in case you didn't know, yuen found himself drinking a bowl of chocolate sauce from a chocolate fountain at the buffet. any reference of pain, dying and death were made in reference to this one act of bravado.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
engaging. repeat. expounding i was reading a few articles days before about some new media forces that are at work in the world today. it's rather scary, the amount of information that gets traded back and forth between users, and i think i was getting a bit over my head in trying to understand the systems in which this information gets communicated through.
anyway, i found this on youtube, and it really is a wonderful resource for explaining fundamental differences between digital media and conventional media. the introduction text grabs you immediately and i believe the future of infocommunications lies in understanding the changing landscape brought upon by the internet and other new forms of digital communications. the agencies that bring us together, be they fiber optic cables or satellite transmissions.
either way, enjoy.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
a happyslip production
dunno how many of you may have heard of happyslip, but it's about time you did. it might remind you of people you know, your own parents or even yourself. this vlogging thing is rather fun for people who know how to do it. me? i'm just content with being a hack and posting other peoples' glories up on this side of the internet.
