Technological Embrace

Friday, September 29, 2006
I finally got myself a new phone all thanks to the budget surplus from the prize money of battle of the bands. I've been using the same phone from 4 years ago, my trusty nokia. I have no idea what the model number was, it took shitty pictures, stored a maximum of a very small amount of smses, had a transparent cover, and heck even had a torch light integrated into it! After a long stingy debate I had with myself I finally got a Sony Ericsson K800i. I have yet to really discover all the functions this thing has, it's pretty damn cool. Though I must admit messaging can get quite sticky at times having used Nokia for most of my cellphone life. But the camera is the shit! 3.2 megapixel siah!

Here are some pictures I took from a bazaar down at causeway point when I met up with the band at Suffian's place.

POWER NASI LEMAK. Yes it's really called Power Nasi Lemak. The food there is amazing. The atmosphere however was not really to my liking. I hate crowded places. But trust me the food made it all the more worth it. Killer nasi lemak with all the little addons your stomach can imagine! I had nasi lemak with stingray and my favourite beef lung.

To top it all off there was a Ramly Burger stall. We got greedy and decided nasi lemak was not enough. I ended up queuing a full 30 minutes for a burger I didn't eat. And in doing so missed half of the Steve Erwin memorial programme on animal planet. CRIKEY!


The place even sells guitars! One for 49 bucks somemore! Deep down inside, I was imagining myself with the blue one, getting a pickup for it and running it through my pedals and amp. It would probably sound like a horse's fart but what the heck 49 bucks only.

We headed back to Suffian's place after that to what has become Crossover studios. Suffian and Ben converted a spare room into a very nice cosy rehearsal space. Wrote 2 new songs in the studio that night. Honestly speaking I can't wait to get back into a real jam studio and rock out with the band I really miss that feeling.

Back to study for me..


Christopher.

. . . : S u r r e a l : . . .

Tuesday, September 12, 2006
The title says it all folks, I'm still in a state of disbelief.

It's already been 2 days since we played at Dtent over at Downtown East for Singapore battle of the bands 2006. What a location right? Well it's sponsored by NTUC...go figure. But locations and venues aside. I actually thought it was pretty damn good. Think a rather small sized dome, with enough room for about 1500 people. I must say I was pretty impressed with the layout of the stage, it looked pretty damn professional to me judging from the past places I have played in - my room, my living room, other people's rooms, the jam studio...yeah you get the idea. 2 Marshall Stacks, 1 Bass Stack, and drumset, can't remember the name though. Anyhows the soundcheck didn't go that well for me, I couldn't hear myself, Valerie standing outside the stage couldn't hear me either. I was really down after that but on hindsight I felt I should have acted a little more professionally and not like a friggin' whiney little brat.

The best bit of it all was the fact that Simone booked a chalet for us at Downtown East.

While everyone was walking and slacking around aimlessly after their soundchecks we headed back there to chillout and watch 21 laps of MOTOGP! Seriously fun shit listening to Yat blabber nonstop giving me commentary. And I also got to warm up and practice thank to Benson's MINI-MARSHALL STACK. That little thing is just damn happening, I have to get one for myself! Got belt clip somemore, can bring on the mrt and do your best constipated guitar god face while you strike fear into the hearts of commuters with you MAXIMUM SPEED WRIST!

Anyways it was time to head off to the rock show. The pep talk before we left the room really put things in perspective for us. I don't know how to describe it, but after the semi finals I just totally resigned myself to the idea of winning something in this competition. I won't deny it I wanted us to be the best, but I realised once again, there's just no fuggin best. It's music for goodness sakes. The very fact that we were at the finals showed that the judges actually saw something in us for the music we played. On my side, the only reason I was there today was because my fellow friends, bandmates and brothers were there with me. After that the pressure just faded from view for all of us. It no longer felt like a competition but it was like a gig, just going out there to play our music and rock out.

And that's exactly what we did as a band.


The Prince of Borneo soloing and SHREDDING away like a madman!


ICE MOUNTAIN SATU LAGI!!!






Just being out there on stage, seeing all our friends and families coming down to support us was enough to more than make my day. Finally my folks and family got to hear me make some actually music instead of disrupting the peace of the household. Valerie especially, the one who really believed in me and supported me every single step of the way. Her parents were even there! Avis my brother from another mother! Mum, Dad, Cheryl, Charmaine, Carol, Shaoyi, Isa, Amanda, Derek, Sarah, Suffian's father, Tinni, Bobo, Ruby, Ruby's Bf, Adrian our ever so absent manager!, Yanni, Jennifer, Simone, Benson's friends, Suffian's friends, All my friends, my much missed group of hotties - Mara, Jer, Cynthia, Carynn, Ris, I miss you all tonnes!!!! -who came down to the quarters to see us play, and Yat's sister!


Our band got 1st runners up in the competition, needless to say I am very proud and happy of our achievement, all those countless hours in the jam studio and Suffian's house practicing away have paid off. All the times when I was frustrated with myself and picked myself up with the encouragement of the people around me have culminated into this moment. My brothers in guitaring Royhan and Brandon, thanks so much for the encouragement you guys have given to me. I really appreciate it.

Moments of truth.

Christopher.


THE DISTORTION PEDAL TO END ALL DISTORTION PEDALS!

Thursday, September 07, 2006
Two days ago in a jam session with my band, I noticed my main distortion pedal started to act all funny. The pedal sounded alright, but the LED (Light emitting diode) on the pedal ceased to operate! I was in shambles...I had no idea what to do, the only thing right now is to send the pedal back to MI-Audio in Australia if I can't get it fixed locally. I tried another overdrive pedal courtesy of my Chicken rice making guitar buddy Ben, an Xotic BB Preamp. Good as it seems, it still did not provide me with the melting searing distortion which I have become so accustomed to.

BUT GUESS WHAT FINALLY CAME TODAY!

I've waited what seems to be like an endless enternity for this pedal to arrive. Tried to purchase it through many different sources, online dealers, stores, the pedal maker himself, and even people who sort of had links with him. Endless scoops of ice cream served at Island Creamery just to save for this! But my ticket to the Bjfe DynaRed distortion came from my longtime Bro Royhan! Thanks bro, I have no idea how you did it but I really cannot believe that I have a Bjfe DynaRed on sitting on my desk right now!

Most of you reading surely have no idea what the big fat hairy deal is about a red little metal box. This pedal is made by Bjf Electronics in Sweden, there are only about 200 plus of these babies in existence right now. Each one is individually handcrafted by Bjorn from Bjf, components selected meticulously and assembled by hand! Even the box and letterings are handpainted!
THIS IS NOT YOUR UNCLE'S OLD BOSS DS1!

Here's the serial number a relatively low DR#177!

The inside of the pedal is protected by a thick layer of neoprene, the same material used to make dive suits...nuts! Covering the circuit is a thick layer of rubbery goop, the first of its kind I've ever come across.

Yet another crazy piece of trivia, each Bjfe pedal comes with a handpainted caricature inside! Mine featured a rooster, again purely coincidental considering the fact that my Chinese Horoscope is a Rooster as well! Corny and strange, but true!

It's really late right now, but still I'm excited as ever! If I plug in this pedal right now into my amp at home and play so much as one note, there's a high chance you'll see my sorry assed face in the New paper tomorrow for disturbing the peace. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and play the hell out of this pedal! The moment I ended work, I shot over to Royhan's place courtesy of Valerie's kind transportation. I also got a chance to check out Roy's new guitar. Amazing stuff mind you.

Till tomorrow!!!!!

Christopher.

You Got a Thang on Me!

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

EAT UNTIL YOU CANNOT EAT ANYMORE!

Sunday, September 03, 2006
I know I should be practicing guitar, doing my homework, reading up on school work, working out in the gym, running round the track, or earnig extra bucks selling ice cream or whatever. But my tummy is more important to me sometimes. And this entry just personifies that fact. I can't get enough of the food at Pu Dong, it's a little Shanghainese restaurant downstairs at my house. As a matter of fact I believe they were even featured in the Straits Times a few days ago. The owners of the restaurant live right next door to me, due to my hospitality towards their kids with regards to all things internet, I get pretty good discounts when I dine there. A meal for 2, one main dish, 3 sides, costs us about 15 bucks! The xiao long baos they serve there can kick din tai fung's ass to taiwan and back. Better still you get to hear the unmistakable undecipherable tones of Shanghainese spoken in the background. The restaurant looks exactly like those I've visited in while I was in China.

Not pictured...the super kick ass pei dan tou fu!

After which we headed back to Val's place, along the way I had a craving for chempadak ice cream at Icekimo. For some strange reason however, the chempadak flavour tasted slightly bitter, as if I ate some of the chempadak skin or seed or what. I was so dissapointed, but it's alright, I'm sure it'll taste better the next time round! I still want my chempadak. Whatever the case, I still love the ice cream there. But of course nothing beats Island Creamery!
Damn big wor!
The worst few I've tried so far...that nonsense New Zealand natural, their double scoop is smaller than the single scoops we serve at Island. First and last time for me man. Ben and jerrys, OMFG so frickin expensive. And it's not even freshly made, you pay for some mass produced shite shipped across the friggin planet.


Nothing...I say again, NOTHING beats Island Creamery.

plsgimmemyraisenow stanley kaythxlala.

Anyhows, the first week of school is over. Last semester is no joke man. Strategic management is enough to kill me. I had to analyse the US housing industry using Michael Porter's Five Forces, I don't even have a frickin' clue about the housing industry...yet alone the US one! Anyways I managed to get everything done. Hopefully we do well for it. This is where I really do miss my girls, wishful thinking though. I have to realize I will not always get to work with the people I ultimately prefer. But the current team I'm working with is pretty good as well. The most important thing is work ethic and responsibility. I can't stand those mofos who do nothing, or hand you something in jackshit standard english.

Battle of the Bands final is less than a week away. I met up with Suffian and Yat over the weekend to work out some ideas I have for a song of our's. I'm very happy they welcomed the idea. Initially I thought they would be quite hesitant, but I'm glad they accepted my contribution. The final is gonna be awesome. My aim is not to win, but to represent my band and our music as it should be. We're playing our own music, written and arranged by us based on our own life experiences. There's simply no excuse for cocking it up. And that also goes for my last missed note on my solo on "moments of truth".

Next week will be seriously intense. We'll be jamming monday, wednesday, and friday at night some more! I can't wait!

I've got tickets for the finals, they are priced at 12 dollars a piece, you get one free drink with it, alcoholic of course. They cost 15 dollars at the door. If anyone wants some please email me@ lethalexcursions@gmail.com , I'll hook you up with a couple. You'll be rewarded with a great performance by my band. We're gonna play our hearts out this Sunday! Plus there are many other kick ass bands performing too. The competition is as tight as hell. Don't miss out!

Christopher.