Categories
Music Reviews Pop Rock & Alternative

Tears For Fears – Everyone Loves A Happy Ending

… and I love a happy ending too. Although I was cautioned on what the reunification of Orzabal and Smith would be. First thing first, I was so over the fact that they have split up 15 years ago. I think Roland Orzabal survived and I do admire his effort in doing everything on his own.

After all, how can they ever beat the wonderful songs from their past such as “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” and “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”?

Tears For Fears’s new album “Everybody Loves A Happy Ending” definitely lived up to my expectation. In fact, I would (and I have) bought any Tears For Fears new album without knowing what’s inside even if it is 50% more expensive because it is an imported item.

The entire album reminds me what Tears For Fears are capable of making. I have to confess that I did not love the entire album at first listen. Nor did I love their Greatest Hits 82-92 at first listen. I had difficulties in understand why my ex-girlfriend loved the song “Woman In Chains” so much.

With Curt Smith’s new vocal addition, it certainly adds a new dimension to the music. I just love it the more I listen to it.

So, what’s the verdict? I am happy to own yet another one of their CDs. My favourite song? “The Quiet Ones”. Personally, I think it is as good as “Sowing The Seends Of Love”.

Categories
Music Reviews Pop Rock & Alternative

No Doubt’s Everything In Time

I have been a huge, huge No Doubt fan. Having been to their wild, wild concert at Paris, I will just buy anything that has Gwen Stefani’s voice in it. I am so totally into Gwen and her band. And so I did, bought the album without even listenning to any tracks.

Back in the year 95/96 while I was working alone in Paris, No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom was definitely what I have been playing all the time. Till today, I can still remember vividly listening to Tragic Kingdom while I was on the Metro (underground), while I was walking in La Defence (the area where I stayed and worked), and many other moments.

If I was to be asked to live in an island for a long while and only allow to bring in 20 CDs (oh please, 10 is too little), Tragic Kingdom would be one of them.

This new album, Everything In Time, is actually a collection of B-Sides, Rarities, and Remixes. Now, what the different between B-Sides and Rarities is really beyond me (B-Side is rare, no?). The B-Sides songs remind me of their Tradgic Kingdom that I still love today. The rarities are pretty good too. The Remixes on the other hands sound a bit too intense. Anyway, check the album out.

Categories
Music Journal

One Cool Discovery and One Sad Discovery

Sad discovery goes first. Today, I dug up one of the song that I have lyrics completed back in Nov 12 with the first verse recorded. I wanted to finish the song especially the title of the song Emptiness does suit today’s mood. Once I have written the melody of the 2nd verse, I realised that the two verse may not gel and most disturbingly was the fear that the song will become one of the “non-jamable” items.

I then discarded the entire 2nd verse and repeated the chords from the 1st verse. It sounded ok but when I listened to the previous version, this new “jamable” piece was just too ordinary. All of a sudden, my fountain of creativity just ran dry on me. How sad to realise that.

And then I moved on recording the Cantonese song (again!) with my dynamic mic. I went bored and that was when the cool discovery kicked in.

I muted most of the 12-string guitar track and only played it at some of the song’s transition. In another words, I sang the song with just the beat and no music in the background. When I listened to the entire recording with the music track, I can’t tell that the vocal track was recorded mainly without any music background.

Categories
Diary From the Attic

One of the Worst Diarrhea

It was started with Cynthia and I discussing where to go for dinner while we were driving away from the airport.  In the end, I have suggested to eat Indian Prata at Jalan Kayu.  That was one of the worst decisions I have made.  I should have recalled my friend telling me that the government occasionally closes down the shops over there after the report of food poisoning incidents.  Not only the meal was pricey (closed to $18 for two of us), I had to spend an hour in the bathroom the next morning.  I was so tired that I just withered onto my bed.  And due to my problem with my stomach, we have spent most of the weekend at home.  To make it up to Cynthia, I took her out for a new dinning place: Kintaro Sushi.  She loved the place.  Let’s see if my stomach can take it.

Physical: 0.89
Emotional: -0.22
Mental: -0.46

Categories
Diary From the Attic

The Mount of Java

Three distinct incidents happened today and I have chosen the most significant one to be the title of today’s diary.  One is on feeling, the other two are something that is within my control and something not.

Throughout the day, I have been disappointed by the lack of reaction from the folks in the office about the signoff of our functional specification.  It is as though nothing has happened!  Ridiculous.  How can it be?  Over time, there is nothing but bad news in Aretae – project teams cannot meet deadline and hence do not get to secure the payments.  This time, the NUS project team has made it and managed to secure the payment even before the deadline.  Sometimes, I am puzzled in how the company is run.

Throughout the day, I have learnt and experimented on how to program JSP and Servlet and I have created one semi-working function.  My first time with Java and it is like facing yet another challenge with yet another programming language.

These two events are that feeling of mine and that something that is within my control.  As for the third event, it is something to do with the weather and the traffic.  Traffic jam in CTE has been consistently terrible.  One of the worse jam I have experienced was during one of the World Cup semi-finals.  One of the most bizarre jam I have experienced has got to be today’s jam.  All the way from the second tunnel, the cars were crawling.  At first I thought it was the bad weather, then after seeing one of the van broke down in the middle of the highway, I thought to myself, “That must be it!”  Then, I noticed that the traffic police have cut off the highway from AMK Avenue 1 onwards.  That was bizarre.  Maybe they are installing another speed camera after Avenue 5.

Physical: 0.27
Emotional: -0.78
Mental: 0.10

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Up There Where We Belong

Today is a high.  It is like a happy ending to part one.  After weeks of struggle with the functional specification, we have finally obtained a signoff.  It is like a gift from heaven.  Even I find it hard to believe.  Not only have we obtained a signoff for the functional specification, we have got six signoffs for the storyboard.  Not one, two, but six!

Today I have finally made an online purchase with Amazon.com after locating the Oxford’s Advanced Learner’s Dictionary CD-ROM.  Not just have I bought the dictionary, I have bought three books from Ann Rice.  These are the books that I cannot find in Singapore and these are the books that probably cannot get through the tough censorship.

To round up the day, Tong Kiat, Sing Chyun, and I watched a hilarious movie at Orchard.

Physical: 0.00
Emotional: -0.90
Mental: 0.28

Movie: Ali G Indahouse

Categories
Uncategorized

Daydream

Today is definitely a day of daydreaming.  The thought and the possibility of leaving this company to join another one are intoxicating.  In my mind, I have already planned out the entire serious of events: the lunch interview, the negotiation (if any), the drafting of the letter of resignation, the breaking of news to Choong Yong (difficult and personal), the breaking of news to Peng Yong (easy and business), the last four weeks with my beloved project team, and the breaking of news to this team of mine (tears and hugs).  I find it impossible to focus without thinking too far ahead.

This morning, I have come to the realization what I love to do best – to work in an environment full of crisis.  What I then do is to go in, put the house in order, and then go off.  Now that the project is stabilizing and most of the unknowns have been taken off the equation, the project is turning a little bit plain to me.  Probably because I feel much needed when things go wrong.  When the weather is good, I feel redundant.  Therefore, time for me to go into coding, time for me to sharpen up my technical skills.

Physical: -0.27
Emotional: -0.97
Mental: 0.46

Categories
Diary From the Attic

A Day of Being Alone

When I woke up this morning, I had a feeling that Francis would call off our lunch appointment and true enough, he did.  Next, I SMS Choong Yong for lunch and he was on leave spending a day with his mother because today is her birthday.  Getting desperate, I walked over to Arnaud’s workplace and he reluctantly rejected me because of prior arrangement with his friends.  My subconscious mind told me to stop there and then so I did not ask Spenser, the guy who sits next to me and he always frowns.  Fortunately I did not humiliate myself with the forth rejection because after I got back from my brief sandwich break, Spenser was still at his workplace planning to grab for a short lunch before heading off to somewhere.

In fact, I should have called Robert out for lunch.  That would have solved my problem.  I remembered him because he called me up after lunch while I was on my way to collect my car.  Bad news.  He has crashed his Lexus with guess what?  Another Lexus.  Poor guy.  It is a brand new car.  Accidents happen, for no reason.  That is why it is called accident.

Physical: -0.52
Emotional: -1.00
Mental: 0.62

CD: Meja – My Best
CD: Jennifer Paige – Positively Somewhere

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Going Through the Storeroom

I have no idea why of all days I choose today to resume writing diary.  Back in 97/98 when I was alone in Paris, I faithfully wrote down all my encounters and feelings everyday.  To be honest, I hardly have the courage and patience to read through all that I have written in the past.  I need courage because most of these writings contain ghosts of the past.  Is it necessary to literally read the past in order to deduce that I have indeed grown up?  Today I have timed my reading speed.  Let’s say each day I faithfully churn out one page of diary that is equivalent to the length of a page of any good novel, reading a year worth of diary requires me to sit still for eighteen hours and fifteen minutes.  That is to provide that the material is a good read.

So why do I start writing diary again?  Maybe it is because nowadays I have more time on my own.  Especially when my wife is now working in the neighboring country.  Or maybe I sense that I am now at this juncture, a juncture that will be full of memorable events.  Rather than letting them evaporated like my Mauritius episode, this time, I wish to encode all these so-to-be historical events into digital bits – ones and zeroes.  And hopefully, by the time I retrieve my digital journal and read in the distant future, Microsoft Word still exists.

Big question: What have I done today?  Started reading the “Prozac Nation”, sped on the highway just to arrive at the airport 8 minutes before the counter closed (all because of my brilliant idea of stopping by Orchard and have dinner at Nooch), returned home and dug through all my CD backups to feed on the fragmented memories.

Looking at my emotional line, no doubt I am quite down today.  And the classical music does not help.

Physical: -0.73
Emotional: -0.97
Mental: 0.76

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Letter to Cynthia: A Very Boring Sunday

Here I am, on a Saturday night, feeling extremely bored and restless and I don’t know what to do.  The house is so different without you around.  Even when you were reading Reader’s Digest, I feel peace and don’t mind falling asleep on the couch or bed.  Now, I run out of things to do.  Really bored.

Hope you enjoy your stay in Mauritius.  For me, I am certain that this must be one of the best weeks this year (so far).  A holiday is always good as we have our undivided attention to our partner.  Hope that will keep the fire going.

After dropping you off the airport, I returned to the office.  My housemate Chun Keat was still at work.  I sent the driver off and waited for an hour for him.  Meanwhile, my friends were at the Banana Café waiting for my arrival.  It was supposed to be some sort of farewell drink for me.  During the drink, Meng Kiong pulled me aside and shared with me the reason my rolling off.  He explained to me that the decision was made purely based on cost (and not my performance etc.)  Somehow, last Friday, Denis really pissed Meng Kiong off and he was thinking of rolling Denis off (this time is due to performance).  He really wishes me to stay but just that it is too expensive to keep me in the project.  To me, if the project really wants me to stay and if Jon Allaway wants me to stay, it shows something positive in my career.  In fact, I am a bit worried returning to Singapore because the partners are trying to hold the fort for a few months (as Chun Keat was talking in the car) and if no project comes along, people will get fired.  Those who sit at the bench will be the first one.  Hence, suddenly there is an element of uncertainty here on my roll off date.

Chun Keat is still ICQ’ing his half half girlfriend.  Although Rabin has called me out for dinner but tonight, I am just not quite up to a big group gathering.  Probably have some decent food somewhere once he is done.

On second thought, this island is so boring and why would I want to stay any longer.