June 2004 Archives

Stalked?!

A couple of days ago when I took the bus home after work, I boarded it as usual, saw lots of empty seats, happily chose one and settled down comfortably. A split second later, someone sat beside me and I turned to take a glance at him, and to my worst fears, it was the same messy-stoney-looking-curled-hair-Indian fella who had sat with me a couple of times on bus rides to and from work (I think he's working in NUS)!! It was beginning to get scary as my impression of him wasn't exactly good. I noticed the weird way he stares at people, especially women...but worse of all, me. Once or twice, I thought it was coincidental when he shared seats with me during bus-rides, but when there were times when there were other available seats and he chose to sit beside me, it became a little too obvious and annoying. Okay, he didn't try anything funny (I'd punch him if he did!), but still, it annoyed the hell out of me with his occasional glances and his bad odor. I think the next time if he ever sits beside me again, I'd move to other seats. Grrrrr.

Temptation

Okay, I gotta admit it. One is definitely not enough. So, I got 1 more...and then another...and I've ended up with 3 sexy guitars within a year. They've served me well. I've performed with all of them and spent some of my proudest moments on stage with them. With my Ibanez Artist, Gibson Flying V, and a Fender Strat, surely they're enough to cover the wide spectrum of sounds I want. But yet, there seems to have room for 1 more...or so that's what this sexy cat is trying to convince me of. Yes, yet another Fender. Fender Jaguar. I have no idea how it charmed my socks off...perhaps it's the curves of the offset body...or maybe it's the shiny chrome control panels...or the impressive array of knobs and switches...not forgetting the 3-tone sunburst colour and tortiseshell pickguard...and I haven't even gone into how the electronics works...and the unique tone it carries. Alright, I think I'm getting obsessed with it, so much that I check Ebay and use search engines to locate a left-handed versions of the Fender Jaguar. Unfortunately, these babies are only produced from 1962 to 1975 and discontinued from then. Left-hand versions are even rarer. With a price tag like this, it's crazy (and impossible) to own a vintage left-handed Jaguar. So, in comes the funky Japanese. Fender Japan started producing reissues of the Jaguars in the 80s' till today, and left-handed versions are readily available from them. From the last correspondence with a big retailer in Japan, I realised I can get one of these left-handed babies at around S$1350 if I order it from them. It's a good deal, but problem is:

1) I've already got 3 pretty high-end 3 guitars, each costing more than 1K.
2) I haven't even explored the full range of possible sounds from my 3 guitars.
3) ..the last two was purchased with only a few months' gap in between them...
4) ...and the last one was bought in January this year.
5) My parents would probably butcher me if they see a 4th guitar...
6) ...especially when my room's got no space to keep all of them (I have 2 on the upper deck of my double-storey bed and 1 underneath my bed.
7) It's becoming an absurdly expensive self-indulgence and retail therapy for me
8) Finally, I don't have a personal roadie who helps me carry guitars and equipment during gigs...wahahah...

So, I doubt I will have the chance to own a Fender Jaguar that this point of time. Let's hope things change in the future...perhaps with a lottery ticket or TOTO ;)

All the text doesn't even do justice to this beautiful piece of art (Click to enlarge):

The time is now. Time to take a break that is. Will be spending at least the next 2 weeks away from any band activities. Gonna lock my guitar away in a corner, brush the dust off the Xbox/PS2 and start slaying monsters in Prince of Persia 3, surviving World War 2 in Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, busting some asses in True Crimes of L.A., and sticking needles and pins in Voodoo Vince :P Yes, plus all the new titles I'd never had time to play.

Not only that, I'm 'reentering' Matrix Reloaded, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and all the all-time favourite DVDs that are also stacking up, just waiting to be popped into the DVD player...just don't ask me what's the last movie I've watched in the cinema *lol*

I will also take the opportunity to catch up times with friends I've not seen for ages...be it replying their email/messages/sms/phone calls/meeting up. Sometimes, the presence of activities like performances, etc does spin things a little out of control...especially my social life...so, it's always good to take this chance to re-adjust it a little :) Luckily I don't have like, tonnes of friendster messages, requests, etc to attend to...and not much emails too...phew.

Perhaps I should also try to sleep more. For a working person, it doesn't really feel fantastic (nor healthy) to be sleeping 4+ hours nightly. But the reluctance to 'waste precious' time in the night often robbed me of the hours. Well, nevertheless, I'll TRY...

Of course, I might have made it sound a little too extreme about 'locking my guitar away'...hahah...I'd still grab it and record whatever stuff my inspiration occasionally throws at me ;)

Hmm....somehow, I made all these sounded like a 'New Year resolution' of something...but it's always nice to draw a 'to-do' list to remind me, in case I slack away during this period ;)

photo by Sebastian Song

Last night's performance at Cineleisure marked LGF's 2nd and final performance in this year's Singapore Street Festival. Despite the excitement and all, we didn't play that fantastic (or at least that's what I think) and definitely could do better.

Perhaps the hint of bad luck was evident when I hailed a cab when rushing down to the venue. The cabbie thought he heard 'Leisurepark (in Kallang)' and drove me there instead :/ After a brief delay and soundcheck, we started our show, just to have our songlist cut down.

Putting aside the bad performance, I'm really glad to see familiar faces of friends who came to support us and those less familiar ones too (you know who you are! :P) ...not forgetting, some long-lost friends as well *lol* Despite being an unknown local band, we indeed had our egos boosted when friends teasingly asked us to autograph on the singles we were selling. But the true overwhelming feeling took over whenever strangers came up to us to buy our cds...

After much chatting and discussing over dinner at Yoshinoya with some friends, most of us headed different ways while while Kin Ho (bassist), Mel (drummer), chOO (programmer) and I went to chill out more at Ice Cold Beer...I had to say I really enjoyed myself cos I hardly joined them chilling out and chatting all kinds of stuff at the same time. While I was there, I knocked into another long-lost friend, Timothy. He's the guy who introduced me UK indies stuff like Suede, Heavenly, Divine Comedy, etc back in '96 or something and I'm really grateful for that.

All in all, despite the crappy performance, I had quite a night. Sorry...no pics for now...perhaps later when they're made available ;)

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Ok...just for my personal ranting, I shall talk about the details of last night's gig and what went wrong. Boring, technical stuff below...so, you might wanna skip it if you'd like:

In fact, sad to say, I'd rate it one of our worse sessions... What caused it? Luckily for us, we fully realised what went wrong (but unfortunately...only after the gig). It didn't take a genius to know that soundcheck is always crucial. And that was where the problem started. We got down early but couldn't do a proper soundcheck due some delay from the performance prior to ours. One of the guitar amps wasn't to my liking (the 'highs' was crap) so I had to use another one. However, I was situated at the other side of the stage and couldn't access the amp on the other side, so I just made do with whatever settings the soundman did for me. As we didn't want to let the audience wait for too long, we hastily started without fully being comfortable with our own settings. So, only during the point of no return, I realised that my tone is crap...but we just had to go on without more interuptions to our performance. Next: the keyboard sound balance was ballistic. It went from quiet at times to a blaring loud during couple of our songs, throwing everything out of balance. It seems the soundman had adjusted the volume on the fly WHILE Seto (our keyboardist) was already adjusting it himself. Then, the vocals: emi (our vocalist) unknowingly belittled the effects of drinking enough water prior to singing..and learnt the lesson the hard way when she had to struggle with difficulties in singing with an uncomfortable throat. And the situation was made worse when she couldn't really hear herself on the monitor amps. I for one, played pretty badly with wrong notes here and there. Perhaps the mood had gone from me, and I wasn't playing with feel anymore...more like just to get on with it. There were more nitty gritty details that popped up during last night, and all these affected the whole performance greatly. But as I've mentioned, the good news is that we've all learnt something and know exactly what went wrong. It was a price to pay but it was a lesson well-learnt too. Oh well...there are good days, and bad ones too...part and parcel of a live band.

Okie...better late than never. Here are my thoughts last Sunday's performance (or at least, those I can recall...warning...it's loooong):

It was a much-anticipated day for me as it's the once-a-year event that takes place in the heart of Orchard. I like the concept of having performances that take place in the open air, along the crowded streets of Orchard...it's like a carnival type of feeling. Initially, I had lots of thoughts of what to wear, what 'theme' I should try, etc...but as the event drew closer, the enthusiasm was somehow overdriven and burst. So, I went for a simple, black long-sleeves shirt-and-jeans 'jaded rocker' look instead cos I know everyone there will be donning their fanciful, leather/lace/jrock-inspired costumes.

Anyway, being rules-abidding as always, our band turned up promptly at 11+am for the supposed soundcheck...which ended up not happening due to some major cock-ups from whoever's in charge. It was pretty shitty to perform with such uncertainties...especially when sound balance is involved. Anyway, it was nice to see some new faces and some familiar ones amongs the bands. Despite the somewhat lack of organisation in the event (yes, I'm still lamenting on the sound part *lol*), the mood wasn't that bad. It was quite pleasant to see everyone being really enthusiastic...the cosplayers, the stall holders, the bands, etc. And having a friend (Jun from the band, GeneXis) running the event, there was some tinge of friendliess and a carefree feeling about it. It was like 'organised by bands...for the bands' type of thing.

Lze'fier kickstarted the show with a jrock number and went on with more originals and a few other covers. After getting to know them from the past Paradigm gigs, I kinda like their mandarin originals. They've got a great lineup with a 'Paul (Beyond)-lookalike' bassist and a good-looking vocalist, Sly. Their guitarists are quite entertaining and knows their own stuff well. I'm sure Sly's good looks and boyish vocals attract lots of female fans...hahah.

Next up was GeneXis (I think) and as usual, they psyched up the audience quite a bit. All their usual fans crowded up to the stage and indulged themselves. I'd get high too if we have such enthusiastic audiences *lol* They improved by leaps and bounds everytime I see them play. But despite my keen-ness to continue to watch them perform, tiredness overcame me and I had to take a break elsewhere and get away from all that heart-thumping and treble-blaring scene. It was a nice change to have the jpop-ish girlgroup, BJY gracing the stage and after some 'cheap thrills' (*lol*) and change of pace, we chilled out more for an hour or two with a few of my bandmates, either sitting down at the Heeren fountain or grabbing some food and drinks in the nearby BK.

Sadly, I had to give a few bands a miss while getting away from it all. Didn't manage to catch much of Mayfair and Amethyst's performances. Kinda regretted missing Mayfair's rendition of the Marilyn Manson version of 'You spin me (round and round)' (or whatever the title is) cos that was one of my favourite 80s song. And after the long break, it was time to get back into 'ready mode' for my band's turn to perform. Obscurity was the band just before us. Not sure if they're newly formed, but it was a good thing to see new faces (or at least to me). I think they're pretty young and if given time and such exposures, they'd do pretty well...

It was quite amusing to have emi's (my vocalist) students dropping by to watch and cheer for us. For the first time in our entire LGF life, they are people yelling 'LGF!! Wo men yong yuan zhi chi ni!' (LGF!! We will always support you!) *LOL* But it was fun though. The audience was quite alright and performing in the evening was a better deal with all the spotlight and increased audiences. We dished out our originals plus 2 Japanese cover songs as planned. However, I wasn't as active on stage due to the bad stage environment. The cable from the amp to my pedalboard wasn't that long and I had to position my pedals in the middle of the stage instead of in front...which makes movement really sloppy and clumsy. I wasn't ready to run around just to trip on my bandmates' effects or cables, like what happened to some of the other bands.

But boy, it got damn hot and sweaty on stage just after the first 2 songs. Kin ho (our bassist), was like, sweating buckets with perspiration dripping from his face and fingers...hahah. Still, it was a nice experience to be showcasing our originals to the public. What further added to the experience was the fact that our single is released on that day. We 'advertised' for it onstage for people to buy our debut single ;)

At the end of the day, all of us were pretty happy with the results and the feeling of strangers and friends buying our single is tremendously gratifying. Another pleasant surprise for me was having a friend dropping by to support me and we met for the first time face to face :) I also couldn't forget how one photographer came up to me and complimented on my guitar tone. Although it's extremly subjective, it got me pretty big-headed to hear that he like my guitar tone best among the others...hahah...but then again, it's the real vintage 70s' pickups in my Fender Strat...so whadda expect?! Heh. Ok...ok...enough of my ego-boosting *lol*

Hmm...suddenly some old thoughts were triggered...Looking back at some of the previous "Jrock"-related events, we weren't exactly in theme (we were at most, a jpop/j-alternative than jrock...and that somehow seemed to put an invisible weight on our chests. However, I'd rather treat ourselves like a 'refresher act'...yeah, to break the monotony of the theme, much like an advertisement. Somehow, we can never be in theme because of the genre-less state we put ourselves in. That is something I'd like to see as an incentive. But it can a double-edge sword as well. But all in all, it doesn't matter how we're catagorised...we're still a live band :)

After much post-gig 'mass interaction' with the other bands in the nearby Long John Silvers, it was time to pack up and end the night with a hot shower and a nice cosy bed.

Of course, there are some important people that made all these experiences happen and I'm really grateful to them. Firstly, the organisers for putting us in this Street Festival (and last year's), Jun and his gang for running it. The bands themselves were fantastic, Sehsuan (who took one of my favourite series of 'animated gif' pics as shown above) and the other photographers who covered the events, friends who took time to drop by to support us, strangers who stopped and watched and everyone else who gave us the chance to bring our music to them. Last but not least, my band, LGF...emi, seto, mel, kinho and chOO...you guys made a difference in my life :)

Oh...a little request from me. If anyone's reading this and happened to take pics of our band or bandmembers during this event, would you mind contacting me/sending me the pics or something? Email's khaz@pacific.net.sg (msn too, if you'd prefer that). Thank you so much!

Also, if you're one of those who've heard us live or bought our singles, we'd like to get feedback from you as well...please feel free to comment here or write it in our LGF website's BBS :)

Finally, our next performance is this coming Friday, 11th June, 7.15pm at the stage outside Cineleisure. Please feel free to drop by and say hi to us if you'd like :P

In a frail attempt to keep tabs with my life's happenings, I shall tackle it hastily. Was supposed to blog the entry below on Saturday but one thing came after another in a flash...so, here are my thoughts during that day. I'll see if I can catch up with writing about Sunday's performance...

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Just got back from my haircut session.

I'm typing this with lots of angst, disappointment and all sorts of negative emotions colliding in my head right now as my mum is still nagging and preaching in the background. Just because I re-dyed my hair red and added some bleached highlights.

First, she went on from how she told me time and time again not to do outrageous colours...and how exaggerating my hair looks. That I'm wasting all my money on stuff like that. How I might as well as not cut when all I did was to trim a little. Next, she said that I'm not a celebrity and shouldn't follow these trends and all...and even celebrities don't do such funky stuff (yeah right). She has to remind me numerous times that I'm doing an office job, especially in NUS, that I should be decent and put on a good image, etc...and that I'd surely get sacked with my experimentations (she even described the make-believe 'dye it back or be sack' scenario).

After which, she lamented that she can't understand what I'm thinking...like why I'd make myself 'not looking like a guy, not looking like a girl' look. Using my size and my hair and even my coloured lens (which I bought last night) as examples against me.

Then, she recalled the old band pics she had seen before...and made judgement on it, saying that none of my friends resorted to all these gimmicks and weird stuff except me...that I don't fit in the band, etc. She based on the point that if all my friends do it, and I follow suit, then it's more understandable.

Next in line, she started quoting me news reports, articles, etc how deadly hair chemicals are, and how they'd 'attack the brain', cause serious problems next time, lamenting that 'next time when I'm old, I'll know the consequences'. But that's not all....she went on the fact that I sleep really late (1-2am) every night, my 'don't really eat much vegetables' diet, and coupled with my 'every night stare at the computer for hours' lifestyle, my health is at great risk.

Then the psychological aspect. She quoted my grandma's famous words 'lao liao lah...go find a g/f!' plus her own 'how come you waste so much time on your guitar and band, etc?!' viewpoint, she'd accuse me of not worrying for my future, planning, etc... And she has to remind me that a few more years later, I'd be 30 and still so 'carefree and bo chap'.

Not sure if you'd still stand it at this point, but there's more. Like how I always brush her off when she's talking these serious stuff with me (most of the time, she's repeating those things above) and how I don't take her words seriously. If I didn't take her words seriously, I wouldn't have tolerated some aburdness and listened all the way (so much that I even blog it down).

It's really a sad thing cos all I did was went for a hairstyling session for tomorrow's performance, and she has to rake up every minute displeasure about me. I can understand her mindset, and being a parent, all these things that I'm doing can be worrying... But I really need to let her see MY point of view. Yes, even though I'm not celebrity, it doesn't mean I can't live a dream or to please myself in the things I do. Why should we confine ourselves to being a humble servant to the norms and do what everyone's doing? I'm not talking about trying to be different in everything I do or just being different for the sake of it...but more of being daring to dream and working towards my personal self-achievements. What's wrong with playing in a band, performing and indulging myself with my passion? I'm not doing any vices nor am I harming others with my self-indulgence. And being so passionate about something doesn't mean that I'm giving up other aspects of my life. I do have a job that pays me enough for my hobby and my basic essentials. I do keep a lookout for potential dates and a potential significant other...it's not like I despise settling down and planning for my future. But while I'm still having a go at it, I'm doing these things to keep myself happy and to keep life going. And frankly, I'm really happy about this lifestyle of mine...about my achievements...about my mindset of things...that I still young at heart despite turning 30 in a few years' time.

In the end, I didn't speak a single word. I've learnt that most attempts to debate her usually end up in more heated arguments. I just let her vent her emotions and took it in a composed manner.

And even though her displeasure lasted till the next morning, we were back to talking terms again.

...and it'd be a sin to talk so much about the topic and not show some pics:

Behold...the infamous hairstyle that caused a mini cold-war (damn...seto said it looked like boyband 5566's Wan Ren Fu's hairstyle *lol*):

Without my buddy, Seto, reminding me that today's my birthday, I would have totally forgotten about it *lol* (thanks, Seto!) It goes to show how ordinary my birthdays are.

I guess after the 21st birthday, I've stopped celebrating it ever since. Hahah...it's not a big deal turning older each year, perhaps, just an excuse to party or have a feast, etc...

Anyway, age is just a number I don't adhere to. I still feel like I'm 18. Never felt being old or something unless I'm treated to occasional naggings from grandma to rush me to get married *lol* or whenever certain friends discuss 'adult' issues like investing CPF, housing loans, etc. I admit I'm pretty much out of touch when it comes to things like that. Certain people plan their future really extensively and it's not a bad thing. I wish I could have such motivation and discipline! But instead, I'm more keen in which hairstyle attracts more chicks (*lol*), how to write better songs and play my guitar better, whether certain clothes would make me look taller, and what pics to use in my Friendster profile...wahahha! Ok, perhaps in the future, I might wish I've invested in something earlier or planned ahead but right now, I live for the moment. Maybe things will really start to change when I get a girlfriend or something. Perhaps only then I will start worrying about OUR future and all...hahah...

But for now, I still haven't decided what to wear for Sunday's performance!!! Urgh. Hahah...