Useless rubbish...

Ever felt like blogging something without actually having anything good/useful/funny/anything resembling normalcy to blog about?

Yeah....

Gah, I wish my brain would hurry up and get creative! No point doing CD reviews if they were boring, right?

I'll tell you one thing, THIS post will definitely not get Tomorrowed. Pity, the last time it happened, this blog got a nice healthy spike in readers for a few hours. Good times, good times....

Cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze, oh what a pain it is....

Why does Santa have three farms? Because he likes to hoe hoe hoe.

Strange fever this. It's mostly gone during the day, but I go to sleep, and it returns right after I wake up.

Not to mention the return of the dreaded Coughs. So bad it woke me up twice at 2 and 4 am. And the awful cough mixture, BLEH!

This fever better hurry up and leave, I've got a job to find!

Sad last week, wasn't it? My cousins lost a grandfather, my sister lost a good friend. It's been a very long time since I last experienced both. Not ones I'd like repeats of. My condolences, guys.

Be very afraid...

That, my friends, is my neighbourhood, as seen from Google Earth.

Gives you a warm feeling inside you, doesn't it?

Here's 2 more pictures of our sunny island.


Marina Bay


Orchard Road

Temperature's rising....

I'll have you guys know that the last time I played in the rain was 2 Sunday mornings ago.

So can anybody explain the 39 degree temperature I have ONLY now?!

Thing is, I only got sick after eating some chicken 2 nights ago.

I repeat, chicken.

Argh! And December was going so well...

Just spreading a quick word...

I forgot if I've said this before, but I'll say it anyway:



Sure, it'll make some blogs look wonky. But c'mon! Better security! Slightly faster loading! TABBED BROWSING!

To end baldness caused by hair-pulling from IE problems, click here.

Time's Persons of the Year 2005

Methinks Time ran out of ideas here. I mean, try naming 1 person as 2005's Person of the Year yourself.

Hard, isn't it?

Here's how I see it. 2005 will be forever known as the year of the natural disasters. The tsunami aftermath (not the tsunami itself, that's still 2004), Hurricane Katrina, Indian earthquake. So Time's editors might decide to be cute this year and put Mother Nature as "Person" of the Year. (See 1984: PC for Machine of the Year; 1989: Endangered Earth for Planet of the Year.) But they thankfully steered away from that. However, I'm in favour of putting ALL the relief workers who helped with the disasters as People of the Year, e.g the year when the American GI was Man of the Year. But I suppose that won't sell copies.

So they put Bill Gates, his wife and Bono. Sure, those three are the poster childs when it comes to helping the needy. Just imagine how richer Bill would be if he wasn't so generous. Consider me cynical though, but this is probably just a good way to sell copies. Notice how Bono is at the center. Besides, I have a feeling Time has always wanted to put good ol' Bill as Person of the Year for the longest time. They missed the boat at 1995, when he DID deserve the honour.

Ah well, what do I know about Time's business practices anyway? Just consider this a writing exercise of my awareness of current affairs.

I get by with a little help from my friends....

I don't usually post song lyrics here. That seems kinda like what a tweenage female blogger would do. You know, the ones who tYpE LyKe tHiS LOL and put their pics all over their blogs, their oh-so-blindingly bright coloured blogs?

EDIT (December 20 2005): See what I mean?

But then again, they usually post lyrics by boybands (HACK!) and Avril (HACK!!!!). Nothin' by the Beatles. And this song from Sgt. Pepper's (review coming soon) is now one of my theme songs. I'll explain the song and how it means to me in the album review. For now, I'll let the song explain itself. Relax, read the lyrics, try to find and listen to the song itself, and let the good times roll. Preferably with a good friend of your own.

With A Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles

What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me.
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song,
And I’ll try not to sing out of key.
I get by with a little help from my friends,
I get high with a little help from my friends,
Going to try with a little help from my friends.

What do I do when my love is away.
(does it worry you to be alone)
How do I feel by the end of the day
(are you sad because you’re on your own)
No I get by with a little help from my friends,
I get high with a little help from my friends,
Going to try with a little help from my friends.

Do you need anybody,
I need somebody to love.
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love.

(Would you believe in a love at first sight,)
Yes I’m certain that it happens all the time.
(What do you see when you turn out the light,)
I can’t tell you, but I know it’s mine.
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends,
I get high with a little help from my friends,
Going to try with a little help from my friends.

Do you need anybody,
I just need someone to love,
Could it be anybody,
I want somebody to love.
I get by with a little help from my friends,
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends,
With a little help from my friends.

What am I doing up this early?

Usually, it's 10, 11 am. Oh well, can't complain, I get to eat breakfast earlier.

Now, I'm just opening my eyes up to the fact that I may be interested in too much stuff. Like Metal just like I said in that last post. I'll buy CDs and attend concerts.

Also interested in movies. I'll buy the tickets. How about TV? I'll diligently watch all my favourite shows. Soccer? Of course, I try to watch every match on ESPN. Oh yeah, let's not forget the other genres of music that I like. I do listen to every genre that I can, with of course the preference to Pop (buy CDs), Dance (CDs and clubs) and SOME aspects of Rock (if it's Punk, forget it).

Books? Trying to save up for Dan Brown. Food? Got the belly to prove my love for it. Sci-Fi? I don't even know where to begin. Wrestling? Gimme the remote, it's time for Smackdown! Dancing? Not that I can breakdance, but I sure can move my feet if the music moves me. The Arts? When I can go to a play that suits my fancy, I will. The internet? More than 100 blog posts, and it still ain't enough.

I'm definitely interested in losing the aforementioned belly.

See, I don't know about you guys, but I'm so stretched thin by all these interests I'm giving myself. I don't have the time, and even less money, to indulge them all!

I'm so confused.....

I've got blisters on my fingers!

Writers are right when they say the skill of writing depends on several factors, one of them being that you have to be prolific in this, write every day to hone your skills, the more you put off your writing, the more you won't feel like writing. It's kinda true now, I don't feel like writing this piece, but I don't want this blog to lay stagnant. This is not me apologising if this post isn't up to your God knows how high standards. Or maybe it is. Bah, chances are you won't care anyway so let's move on.

I've got a few notes on that supposedly Devilishly evil music they call Heavy Metal, an area of music so big it's got it's own section in HMV. It's basically for me, just loud drums, grinding guitars and loud unintelligable words. Seriously, I heared the Slipknot live album at HMV and all I could make out was "RAAAARRRAARAHAHRHARMUTHAPUCKARARHRRAHHAHARHA!!!!". So you know what? There may be some life-changing message in those lyrics, but if I can't understand it, I won't care. I'll just enjoy the loud drums and grinding guitars, which I do take a visceral pleasure in. And anyway, that's how I approach most music. The melody first, the lyrics later, if ever. But anyway, I was always a little blase about metal. My Dad's past insistence on putting Deep Purple, Scorpions and some Malay bands on the CD player again and again and again made sure of that. Seriously, if I hear that blasted whistle opening of 'Winds of Change', I'm going to blow some wind myself.

It's only after listening to the so-called first ever Metal song, 'Helter Skelter' by the Beatles, did I really start getting into the metal sound. That song, BTW, also made me a Beatle fan. I mean, seriously, who knew sappy, melodramatic Paul McCartney could rock (and I do mean RAWK!) like that? Anyway, I'm really starting to get into the whole Metal soung thing. Particularly if it's Emo. I don't know why I didn't get into Emo sooner, it sounds perfect for me. Just as long as I stay away from the old stuff my Dad digs, I'm fine with any other Heavy Metal song or band.

Like the Best of Pantera album I just bought. It's loud, it's fun, it's perfect for a personal Primal Scream session. And Dimebag really can play that mother. And no, I wasn't aware of his death anniversary until the day after I bought it. I am however aware that John Lennon's 25th death anniversary is today. Heh. (RIP, Johnny boy)

Anyway, I just think the CD's alright, but I only listened to it once, because I kinda enjoyed the other CD I bought that day, Sgt. Pepper's. I listened to that every day for a week. But that's probably for another post. Just warning you that if you do listen to Sgt. Pepper's, don't do it right after a hard-rocking album like Pantera's. You'll end up feeling a little under-whelmed.

I am well aware that Heavy Metal is just as much a visual affair as it is an aural one. If I'm ever to experience the full Metal experience, (as full as I'm ever going to get in sunny Singapore) I'll have to be in a concert. I'm also well aware of what exactly happens in those concerts. Looking at the Slipknot concert photos, I wonder if I would even survive. Those Hell's Angels stories don't make it better.

The closest to a metal concert I've been to? Once, I was at a mini-concert. There I was in the middle of the crowd. I suppose I should have seen the warning signs, which came in the form of rocker type people surrounding me. Yep, that was one time I did stand out, image wise. Anyway, Cherry Chocolate Candy was leaving the stage, and the Bushmen came on. And before I knew it, I was right in the middle of a freakin' mosh pit! At least I think it was a mosh pit, it was all a blur. But there sure was a whole lotta bumping. I'll never forget that moment, least of all when I tried to grab something, anything and (oh boy) grabbed some woman's breast. That wasn't the memorable part, it's the flirtatious way she looked at me after it happened that creeped me out. One quick and profuse apology (and a wink from her) later, I pried myself out and high-tailed it out of there. This happened near Woodlands MRT. The scary thing is, I know that's NOTHING compared to what I might see and experience in, say, a Metallica concert. My skin is crawling just thinking about it. But hey, I'll do anything once.

One last note. If anyone ever hears me describe any song as 'BRUTAL!', please feel free to shoot me.

Earworm of the Moment

A Day in the Life by the Beatles

One of those avant-garde songs from one of those avant-garde albums, this being Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Loved John's depressed part, Paul's happy part, the orchestra, the babbling at the end, the note so high only dogs can hear. Heck, I love the whole album. Not at first, but this is one of those albums where you have to listen more than once.