Month: June 2008

Categories
Diary

My Harvest at the Great Singapore Sales (So Far)

Call me whatever you like but I simply love the teal color flower petal lookalike tiny thingies that produce beautiful sound.  When I took them out of the box, Cynthia went oooorrhh sooo cute …  and at that moment, I know, girls love that design too.  In fact, I think girls love this design this color more than men do.  Then why did I buy them?

Don’t ask, don’t think too deep.

Not sure why, these days my shopping decisions are largely based on aesthetic values.  Like that pair of pointy shoes.  I looked at those lines, the shape, and I was in love.  Besides, I am no long a size 9 but a 7.  The salesgirl told me that it was due to the cutting.  Now imagine how a girl would feel when the dress size drops by two.  Cynthia calls me a Peter Pan or an elf.  Call me whatever you like but I simply love those pointy shoes …

Except, they were not that entirely comfortable to wear.  Far from that, it was pretty painful to wear.  I used muscles that I didn’t know they existed before.  How do girls walk with shoes like these?  Fortunately these pointy shoes of mine are not high-heeled.  And after a week, I walk like a pro, with these pointy shoes.

And no, contrary to the myths I have heard from some of my friends, I don’t topple and I don’t find it hard to walk up the stairs.

I think I am a hybrid shopper, a type AB.  I do shop with prioritized objectives in mind and I do take forever to make a decision.  You can’t really blame me deriving joy from getting a good bargain and to leave no ground uncovered, no items untested.

You may not have realized this: Imagine you want to buy a pair of speakers for your iPod or computer, most shops have speakers on display powered up, ready for demonstration except for the source of music.  The sales persons more often than not would scramble to look for something to play.

Fear not, with my wonderful wireless phone, all I have to do is to jack in the speaker cable and voilà!  Music on demand.  Since by now, I must have listened to that song by YUI for like 5,000 times (I ain’t joking), it has become my yardstick to determine which speaker model is the best.

And I picked the best looking one in the end (see picture above).

When I told my buddy Robert Let’s Go PC Show, his first response was It’ll be Too Crowded Let’s Not Do It.  I said Fine, I’ll Go There First and We’ll Meet for Lunch An Hour Later.  As the doors of the exhibition hall opened at noon sharp, OK, there was a crowd.  But same place, years ago when Cynthia and I watched Avril Lavigne’s concert, it was a whole lot more crowded than this.

Once in a blue moon, you get yourself into some surreal situations and suddenly, whatever you hear sounds really strange.

Somewhere inside the PC Show exhibition hall, one pair of earphones, close to S$700.  My.  Jaw.  Dropped.  This girl at the Shure booth was very keen to show me what she has got.  “You’ve got to try these,” she smiled.  I looked at the earphones dangling in front of her, for lack of a better word, chest.  I have no idea why she was wearing the most expensive earphones over her neck.  Hesitated for a bit, I gave it a go.   Unplugging my Sennheiser earphones from my wireless phone, I was all ready to be blown away.

“Is this your first time?” she asked.  I presumed she referred to the first time wearing the Shure earphones.  “You’ve got to go from behind,” she demonstrated as she was trying to help me with it.  But it just couldn’t get in.  “Yours is a bit small.  It keeps slipping out,” she giggled.

Huh?  “Let me do it,” I said.  And it went in OK, the other side as well.

The sound is pretty good.  But S$700 for that is kind of out of this world.

So what did I buy at the PC Show?  Well, I supported our local industry and bought something from Creative.  Back in the office when I showed one friend of mine what I was going to get, he was shocked at how fast I made my decision out of so many models Creative have offered.  He probed deeper into my wisdom and I said …

“Look!  It says, ‘Hear your enemies before they find you’.  And I want just that.”

I love making decisions when the marketing jargon and killer designs have taken care of them all.  And I am looking forward to my next round of shopping.

Categories
Coincidence Diary

The Coincidental Encounters and the Incidental Chain of Events That Leads to This – My First V-blog (Prelude) Episode 2

I don’t want to sound too much like a rip off from Haruki Murakami’s short story “Chance Traveler” but I too have my share of coincidental encounters to share.  Totally random of course but interestingly, these coincidences happened in the span of three consecutive days.  And outside this three-day window, puff, my days have become as ordinary as they have always been no matter how hard I observe.

What are the odds to meet the same person in the morning queuing just one spot in front of you at your favorite coffee joint two days in a roll?  And the queue was otherwise empty, just you and him.  And if you think that I always have the same timing every morning, I don’t.  I have not seen him since then.

How about the same colleague whom enters a lift with you when you head out for lunch, both of you have your own lunch plan, and you see her taking the same lift with you when you are done with your lunch?  In my case, I wasn’t even observing the lunch hours.  And apparently, neither was she.

One morning at ten, I was at the lift lobby and with me was the cleaning lady who was done with the day.  We chatted and I learned that she starts work at six every morning.  The following morning at ten twenty, I was at the same lift lobby, patiently waiting for a lift, and with me, the same cleaning lady.  She was late because there was more trash to attend to.  This time, I learned that after she has finished with the cleaning work at our office, she heads over to another office.  And she lamented that we only pay her S$350 a month for that 4 hours of work a day.

All these lift encounters can’t beat this particular one.  I often carry with me a cup of freshly brewed coffee to work every morning.  The lift was crowded and at one floor, the door opened.  Just when it was about to close, one guy from behind jerked into action and pushed through the crowd as he dashed towards the closing door.  He knocked onto me and I spilt the hot coffee onto a huge fellow in front of me.  How embarrassing!  But it was not as embarrassing as meeting the same huge fellow in the same lift the next morning with me holding another cup of hot coffee.  I so wanted to dig a hole and hide inside.

*          *          *          *

While the above encounters that happened in the span of three consecutive days may sound random, the incidental chain of events that leads to my wanting to create a video blog is all but.

I don’t get to have lunch with my good buddy Choong Yoong often.  We both know about it though we both deny it.  We meet once a year, usually due to some last minute arrangements.  It is just the way how we operate, I guess.  Every time we meet, I am always delighted by the variety of topics he has.  Mostly out of the world kind of ideas or news or theories or gossips, it is hard not to be enchanted by this precious lunch appointment that rarely occurs.  So out of the blue, I suggested that he should set up a podcast and I will be his faithful subscriber.  He laughed and told me that he has tried making an episode, and that was hard.  He then turned to me and said: You should have your own podcast instead!  I asked why and he pointed out that I have a dynamic voice to keep the audience interested (or something like that since that event happened quite a while ago).

Podcast and me, you have got to the kidding right?

But ideas are strange little fellows.  They stick to your head and refuse to go away.  And I parked this little idea in my head for months.

Another idea comes from the limitation I feel about blogging.  Don’t get me wrong.  Blogging is great; it is spontaneous; and I can write about anything and everything to my heart content.  Almost.  Except the invisible word count restriction that hangs on my neck all the time.  I have to try very hard to keep my blog entries within 500 to 1,000 word count.  Occasionally I hit 1,500 words and I have to remind myself not to do that often for I do treasure my own little crowd of online readers.  It is said that an average adult reads prose text at 250 to 300 words per minute.  In that sense, perhaps even a 500 words entry is still too much for the my precious audience to take.

And because of that, I have got another idea – to have a series of blog entries with a related theme and a time table to adhere to.  I often wonder what the online readers would feel if there is a sense of anticipation, like a TV series.  And even if this little experiment doesn’t take off, I would have published a 10,000 words entry that is broken down into ten little pieces.

Finally, I have always fantasized with the idea of making a little video using 100% original materials.  Can this be done?  How far can I stretch myself?  Connecting all these three little ideas prompts me wanting to just do it.

So, do it I shall.  A v-blog it will be.

My 1st v-Blog Mini-Series:

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami – Surreal and Beautifully Written Short Stories

I would be lying to say that I wasn’t stopped by this rather sexy book cover (which later found out that it is rather relevant to the leading story).  But there are plenty of sexy book covers out there to grab attention.  I liked the book title but was not familiar with the author’s name.  I am naturally attracted to foreign writers but shall I invest my time to read an unfamiliar author’s work and to broaden my exposure when my personal reading preference flavors depth than breadth?  I flipped the book open and started reading it, inside a library.

“To put it in the simplest possible terms, I find writing novels a challenge, writing short stories a joy.  If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.  The two processes complement each other, creating a complete landscape that I treasure.  The green foliage of the trees casts a pleasant shade over the earth, and the wind rustles the leaves, which are sometimes dyed a brilliant gold.  Meanwhile, in the garden, buds appear on flowers, and colourful petals attract bees and butterflies, reminding us of the subtle transition from one season to the next.” – Haruki Murakami, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, vii.

I love to write and I couldn’t agree with him more.  I have attempted to write both novels and short stories and I often find myself torn between the two.  Why?  Haruki Murakami couldn’t have said it better.

I personally enjoy reading short stories; not used to in the beginning but I have grown accustomed to, and now fall in love with.  On that count, I simply cannot, for instance, get enough of Italo Calvino’s work – an Italian author who wrote lots of great short stories.

“Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” is a collection of short stories written in the period of 1981 to 2005.  And they are translated from Japanese by Philip Gabriel and Jay Rubin.  I can’t really pinpoint a common theme across all these 25 stories (334 pages, hardcover).  All I can say is that Haruki Murakami has a keen sense of observation at the most minute detail.  You can actually see the story as you read it.  And Haruki Murakami’s stories are mostly surreal, at times metaphoric.  I sense that some stories are inspired by certain bizarre news that most people disregard.  Some stories are written using himself as the main character so I gather that these stories relate to people in his real life and are told with a certain dose of imagination.  Some supposedly fictional characters read almost like the author himself with a changed name.  Some fictional characters are, I believe, purely fictional.

In short, there are no ordinary stories when told by Haruki Murakami, even those with plots that do not resolve into any dramatic ending.

Out of these 25 stories, some leave a deeper impression than others.  The four and a half pages long short story “A Perfect Day for Kangaroos”, for instance, is one of my favorites.  The author wrote about a man bringing his girlfriend who wanted to see a baby kangaroo to visit a zoo.  “Man-Eating Cats” started with a piece of news reporting on an old woman who died in her apartment and the hungry cats locked inside had nothing to eat but to feed on the dead body .  The story itself is nothing gross to that extend but a good metaphor that links the main character with an, perhaps, imaginary lover?  The story “Firefly” is a beautiful love story of perpetual waiting while “Chance Traveller” is an emotional story between the two estranged siblings.  “The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day” is a carefully crafted story that is told within a story and the last chapter “A Shinagawa Monkey” exposes our very own psychological subconciousness and identity with the help of a … talking monkey that steals name tags.

The opening chapter “Blind Willows, Sleeping Woman” may as well be a representative piece of work from the book with the same title – a statement of what Haruki Murakami’s unique style is all about, at least for this book.

Certainly, I intend to follow the rabbit hole and dig deep into what Haruki Murakami has to offer.  To end this review, I found this rather interesting dialogue between the main character – an author – and a subject of his affection.

“Writers don’t have any talents to offer.  A pianist could play you a tune.  A painter could draw you a sketch.  A magician could perform a trick or two.  There’s not much a writer can do.” – Haruki Murakami, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, 293.

Categories
Announcement Whacky Thoughts

A New, Shall I Say, Mini-Series and I’m Still Not Sure About It – My First V-blog (Prelude) Episode 1

Ideas are peculiar little tangibly intangibles.  They are not as abstract as dreams like you want to marry a perfect guy (or girl) when you grow up or that Lamborghini you must have; wanting to be a rock star or to save the world.  Ideas on the other hand are more tangible than that.  It could be as simple as wanting to date this particular person whom you’ve met at a concert, to shop for a car, to learn how to play a musical instrument, or simply signing up for a beauty contest and hopefully be an ambassador of world peace.

So on and so forth.

Ideas are tangible because they are something you can action upon.  Like right now, right here.  Ideas are alive and can be planted in our heads; they grow and some are hard to be obliviated.  Think of it as metamorphosis – you have to kill an idea or an idea will turn into a series of actions whether you like it or not.

And because it is so easy to kill an idea – I murdered gazillion of them since I was a toddler – and I am notorious in sitting on ideas or taking forever to finish what I have started (like taking 3 years to complete that Bangkok video), I have decided that if I go public at even the crystallization stage, an idea may be materialized into something tangible.  Pretty much like how a virgin vow works.  Not a 100% guarantee, but it is much better than just a feeble idea.

So I have decided to create a video blog, with 100% original materials.  That is, from storyboarding to scriptwriting, from pictures of the primitive animation to the even more primitive soundtrack.  And I intend to roll the end credits with a sample of one of my refurbished songs.

Sounds exciting?  Since I have already put in 72 hours on this video blog and I am – keeping my fingers crossed – 20% from completing it, I have even come out with the following timetable.  What’s entertainment without a sense of anticipation after all?

My 1st v-Blog Mini-Series:

Categories
Comedy Diary Movie Reviews Romance

If the Birthday Girl Wants Made of Honour, the Birthday Girl Gets Made of Honour

Couple of weeks ago, my friendly boss dropped by my workplace – like he always does in an intraday manner to go through a checklist of 101 items with me – and he talked about “Made of Honour” instead.  He even gave a two thumbs up on that movie.  That was scary.  Was I being Googled and he learned that I love watching movies?

Perhaps not.  Hopefully not.

This week has been an eventful week for me, or rather for Cynthia and I.  Besides the one thing that now is not a good time to share (I will, I promise), my work has been action packed (though I still managed to keep it within 9 to 5, thank god for that) and Cynthia has just started working in a new environment so I needed to hunt for another precious parking lot within CBD.  The good news is that my good old friend RC passes me his tenant lot because he has decided not to drive a few years ago.  The not so good news?  Well, the car park at Prudential Tower is probably the most scary car park I have seen in Singapore.  RC joked that I shall practice my Tokyo Drift technique at those tight corners and curves.

Very funny.

Fortunately, by now I can go up and down of the Tower with one eye closed.  In fact, an entertainment I genuinely look forward to every day.

And Friday was Cynthia’s birthday too.  How amazing!  Since my credit card has intercepted hers during her first purchase at the Great Singapore Sales just a few days ago, the birthday gift is settled.  Hooray!  I know she has been talking about “Made of Honour” a while back, “Made of Honour” it is then.

When the main actor first appeared on the big screen, I whispered to Cynthia, “Who is this guy?!”.  “He is Patrick Dempsey,” Cynthia replied.  “What damp sea?” I inquired as the name didn’t ring a bell.  “The movie ‘Enchanted’?” she replied.

Ah … OK, I still couldn’t remember.  When the main actress (Michelle Monaghan) appeared, I whispered, “I know this girl!”  “Who is she?” Cynthia’s turn to ask me.  “I don’t know,” I said and I continued, “but I remember seeing her on TV.”

OK,  I may not have seen her on TV.  But she does have that TV soap opera kind of look and indeed she was involved in the TV series “Boston Public” as I found out later.  In fact, Patrick Dempsey is also from a TV series, “Grey’s Anatomy”.

In fact, the second main actor has also acted in a TV series that I love – a HDO Original Series.  When the Scottish actor actor Kevin McKidd first appeared, I nearly screamed, “I know this guy!”  Cynthia replied knowing that I didn’t really know who this guy was, “Ya, the ‘Rome’ guy”.

I don’t think I have laughed so hard this year.  OK, it’s not about the story and we all know about that.  I would probably forget the whole story before this weekend ends.  However, with such an eventful week, a good laughter is all I need right now.  I will definitely catch this movie again on cable to have a good laugh about it.  Not sure if some sexual references would be censored though.

Perhaps not.  Hopefully not.

Categories
Jamming Session

Montages of Our Home Jamming Session (15/5)

Looks like our search for a drummer who will practice and perform live gigs with our band continues.  My old friend in KL has just opened a brand new lingerie shop and she has invited our band for the official launch, with media coverage!  All I have to do is to compose a new set of songs – something sexy I guess? – practice them with the band, memorize the songs, and to figure out what to do with the drum track … in this couple of months’ time.

Fun time.

Who is who in these images – white shirt dude is the guitarist Jason, white shirt chick is the bassist Cynthia, red shirt hottie is our Singapore band manager Selrol (a.k.a. Jason’s wife), and the blue shirt schmuck is me.

I can always trust Selrol to be our band archivist, our very own band journalist to document our journey.  Just in case we become famous in X number of years’ time, we can readily publish a photo book titled: Who are the Real Candies in “No Eye Candy”?  (note: our band is called “No Eye Candy”)

This time, Selrol brought along a darn cute orange color Polaroid instant camera (see the picture at the bottom).  And this yummy cute little thingie produces crisp clear vibrant color photos (see the montage above) that cost S$1 per shot.  Totally worth it if you were to ask me.

The jamming session happened couple of weeks ago.  On the day itself, our drummer Chip couldn’t make it.  So we cancelled our studio booking and headed to my own home studio instead.  Jason bought a Les Paul guitar on that day and we were keen to take it for a test drive.  We love the sound.  What can I say?  Mine is a Les Paul too.

So I met our drummer Chip a few days ago for lunch and he shared with me some of the challenges he has in prioritizing his life, especially now that he has a new baby.  Deep inside, of course I was hoping to be able to take our band into the next level since we have been practicing our original songs for years.  But I can totally understand where he is coming from.  Maybe the timing is not right for us yet.  Maybe with Chip, we have to work on less time intensive home bound activities such as recording – something he can pick up the guitar for 20 minutes and continue another day like he said.

This is the time when I keep thinking of what Randy Pausch once said in his “Last Lecture”: Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things.

And the hunt for a live gig drummer continues …

Categories
Hard Rock & Metal Music Reviews

A Def Leppard Marathon – From Hysteria to Songs from the Sparkle Lounge

I have yet to figure out if each tragedy the band Def Leppard encountered leads to a success or each success curses them with a tragedy.

In year 1983, the UK rock band Def Leppard became famous after their third album “Pyromania” reached 10 times platinum in US alone.  In the following year, the drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash.  I remember reading an article from a magazine while I was in UK.  A dramatic article on the return of the one arm drummer a few years after the accident.

After the car crash due to speeding, Rick Allen lost an arm.  You can imagine how disappointed the rest of the band felt.  First, the breakthrough, then the uncertainty.  But what about the young drummer?  Legend has it that he did not wish to give up but instead, he was determined to return to his career with three limbs and the help of electronic drum paddles.  In one dramatic evening, while the rest of the band members were having a drink at a lounge – their usual drinking place – without him, Rick Allen walked into the room.  I suppose some band members might notice his entrance but I would imagine that they were still mad at Rick and his recklessness.  So, no one was paying attention to Rick Allen.

Rick continued to walk to a drum-set set at the center of the room, and he started to play the drums.  At that very moment, vocalist and I suppose leader of the band Joe Elliott closed his eyes.  The sound of the drums filled his head, squeezed out all the resentment he has, and took him back in time.  A time when Rick still had his two good arms.  According to what I read, Joe Elliot couldn’t tell the difference.

So, there was life after “Pyromania” after all.  And a happy ending.  “Hysteria” hit twelve times platinum in US and perhaps, that fourth album is the peak of their career.

In year 1991, their legendary guitarist Steve Clark died due to alcoholism.  The following year, “Adrenalize” was released with a moderate success – three times platinum.   After “Adrenalize”, Def Leppard repackaged their b-side and unreleased tracks during the era of “Hysteria” and “Adrenalize” and named the album “Retro Active”.  Since I in particularly love that era, these three albums hold a dear place in my heart.

After that, their long time producer, Robert John “Mutt” Lange (once married to famous country singer Shania Twain) called it quit.  “Sling” is meant to be an album that expresses the true image of Def Leppard without Mutt Lange.  I personally like the uniqueness and freshness of that album but the mass media said otherwise.  “Euphoria” is forgettable and “X” is a joke.  I vowed not to buy any Def Leppard album, ever.

Then I bought “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge”.

Despite the lingering feeling of years of betrayal, I gave their 10th studio album a try.  The first song “Go” gripped me.  No way this is Def Leppard!  It sounds more like Korn.  I love the guitar solo too!  The next song “Nine Lives” is the album’s first single featuring country singer Tim McGraw.  OK, it is kind of old school rock and I didn’t love it at first listen.  Why choose “Nine Lives” as a single?  After a few listens, it does grow onto me.  And I agree, “Nine Lives” is probably one that has a better chance to stand the test of time.

It was the slow killer ballad “Love” that sealed the deal.  I do not have any of their albums prior to “Hysteria” and in the last week or so, I had a Def Leppard marathon listening to all their albums from “Hysteria” onwards.  I don’t think they have made anything like “Love” before.  That song is totally old school.  Cynthia thought that it sounds like a song from Queen.

Lyrically, some songs still remind me of the same old trivial stuffs such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Make Love Like a Man”. But check out the extract of the song “Cruise Control”.

I hear my god he calls my name
I must atone all men can change
and for my god I ring the bell
I will condemn the infidel

Mostly up tempo and mostly rock, I am happy that “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge” has revealed yet another side of the band.  It may not be as great as the “Hysteria” era but it is way better than any of their recent releases – if that means anything to you.

So tell me, how much do you love the old school rock music?

Categories
Movie Reviews Romance

So This is Sex and the City (A Guy’s Perspective)

Believe me, a hundred and one plans have flown over my head on how not to get myself into “Sex and the City”.  In a last-ditch attempt, I asked Cynthia in all feebleness, “Shall we check out the reviews on this movie just in case?”  Her response was, “It’s Sex and the City.”  Cool as a cucumber, just like her.

Look, a bunch of actresses in their mid-forties (and one in fifties) is not exactly sexy; nor can I relate to New York City.  I have not watched even one single episode since the season began in 1988 so I didn’t really know what to expect.

I was not surprised that the female audience inside the theater outnumbered the male species by a great mile.  I was (still am) immensely annoyed that the editing of the sex scenes is so poorly done, probably due to the film censorship restriction.  And I was surprised that I did enjoy watching this movie.

I need to see a therapist, to fix my manhood, today.

I often think that it is no easy task to bring a successful TV series onto the big screen.  A TV episode is usually short (20 to 40 minutes each); it has a certain repetitive pattern for each episode with an overarching story that spans the entire season; each episode has a constant stream of valued entertainment throughout taking in consideration of the commercial breaks.  And I often have a lot of respect for the actors and actresses in a long running TV series.  Why?  It is hard work and they get to practice their craft day in day out.  I do admire people who work hard for their passion.

Movies, on the other hand, is a totally different ball game.  The storyline does not get resolved within 20 to 40 minutes, nor it stretches to a duration of one season worth of materials.  So, what is a good strategy in bringing a successful TV series onto the big screen?

In “Sex and the City”, it is more or less a movie with four love stories evolving around the four main characters.  You may say that a 145 minutes long movie is a bit too long, even for the fans (in US, it is advertised as 135 minutes and I wonder why).  But if you look at it as four separate stories mashed into one, I think it is about right.

The movies does watch like a long TV drama program with pockets of humor from beginning till end.  The girls on screen do seem like having lots of fun with a certain female bonding that only girls can understand.  At times I hanged out with a group of female friends and when I turned invisible (believe me, it is easy when you were me), it seemed as though I have stepped into a whole new world of female aura.  The things that girls like to talk about and the little things they do, I am truly amazed.

Truly amazed I was as I watched this bunch of rather mature actresses still able to bring out the sexiness and strong female attributes within.  Sure, for the fans, the storyline may not be as strong as what it was 10 years ago.  And to glamorize the faces and bodies of what-you-see-is-what-you-get (again, these actresses are not exactly young) comes the over-the-top fashion and even a huge golden necklace the main character of Sarah Jessica Parker wears on the bed.  I am OK with that, seriously.  I need some occasional visual stimulation.  And I think “Sex and the City” portrays the emotion of the actresses well too.

Now, since I am probably an overly sensitive hopelessly romantic new age kind of guy who incidentally loves the chick-lit genre so naturally, whatever I say is discounted by half if you are a guy reading this blog entry.  Judging from the laughter I heard in the theatre by the guys behind me, I would suppose guys love “Sex and the City” too.  I read that during the filming, multiple endings were shot in public due to the constant presence of the paparazzi.  I wonder if these endings will be featured in the DVD.  The uncensored version would be so much better to watch, in my opinion.

“Sex and the City (the TV series)” is meant to be a realistic portrayal of the sexual behavior and lifestyles of many urban Americans.  Have they achieved their goals in this movie?  Only girls can tell.