photograph

Scientists proves zombies could annihilate humans

2009-08-19T07:22:56Z

o_O

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8206280.stm

murakami's jerusalem prize acceptance speech

2009-03-03T03:57:07Z

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090302p2a00m0na004000c.html

"I chose to come here, rather than stay away. I chose to see for myself, rather than not to see. I chose to speak, rather than to say nothing."

"Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg." Yes, no matter how right the wall may be, how wrong the egg, I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps time or history will do it. But if there were a novelist who, for whatever reason, wrote works standing with the wall, of what value would such works be?

What is the meaning of this metaphor, of the wall and the egg? In some cases, it is all too simple and clear. Bombers and tanks and rockets and white phosphorus shells are that high wall. The eggs are unarmed civilians who are crushed, burned and shot by them. This is one meaning of this metaphor that is true.

"We are all human beings, individuals regardless of nationality, race or religion. And we are all eggs -- we are all fragile eggs faced with (a) solid wall, called the system. Take a moment to think about this. Each of us possesses a tangible living soul. The system has no such thing. We must not allow the system to destroy us. We must not allow the system to (have) a life of its own. The system didn't make us -- we made the system," he said.

Muthspiel & Blade - Friendly Travelers Live

2009-01-19T06:54:55Z

After a long wait, my copy of the live recording and performance by Wolfgang Muthspiel & Brian Blade arrived in the mail, much to my great excitement (and slight fear)

In 2007, the two friends met up in Austria and collaborated on a series of live recordings & performances culminating in a duo project called 'Friendly Travelers Live'.

The DVD extra contained a 'Talk on Tour', where both of them talk about the project, where it came from, their ideas and inspirations. What being a musician means to them.

One can sense the chemistry, love and respect between them. While Muthspiel appears to be the ideas, Blade is the prober, the channeler who funnels them through all the peaks and valleys, and often into a tremendous end.

They talk about meeting up again, and Muthspiel suggests this time, they not have a plan beforehand, or write and prepare any tunes. Instead, just play and see what comes out of it.

This song is titled "Vallekilde", a Danish town where they met, as Blade puts it, "when they were both students, and teachers. The way I look at it."

This one titled "Gnadenwald" is one of my favourites on the record.

alfe @ 2008-12-31T11:42:00

2008-12-31T03:52:02Z

i've been really motivated to compose this few weeks. i think i wrote more tunes this month than the first 32 years of my life combined.

i've always been hearing melodies in my head, but this is the first time i've gotten down to understand how sequencing software works and be able to use them to add strings, keys, horns.

the best melodies often make me feel like i'm an astronaut waiting to go into space. its the imagination of propelling oneself into the blackness, seeing stars, gazing into the earth from above that makes me feel life is full of wonderment!

since i can never be a space traveller in this lifetime, i'm going to have to make music that makes me feel like one.

i wished i had someone to push and discipline me into doing all this earlier. everything would have been so much faster.

guess its the music thats going to come in a tidal wave then.

alfe @ 2008-12-30T11:30:00

2008-12-30T03:42:24Z

hw and i had a conversation last night about a certain artiste writing angsty songs earlier on vs the happier ones later on.

i remarked about how much i like his songs, especially the ones that sounded hopeful. not too high, not too low.. but just right about when its going on upwards.

it makes me feel like we're all truly blissful for a few moments, then we spend all the rest of that time chasing after where it came from, looking for or holding on to traces of it, nostalgia, photographs, acquiring something that holds significance for us from the past, toys, memorabilia.

we can't ignore both the past and the future. but here is where we are. so what do we do, where we can hold it all together? where do we stand, to ride out all the highs and lows that life has to offer?

Leslie Cheung 1997-月亮代表我的心

2008-09-08T02:51:29Z

I was looking at leslie's videos on youtube and forgot how impossibly suave and charismatic he was as a singer, entertainer. he truly was a super talent

i watched a film of him portraying a drummer who gets thrown into mental hospital, and he meets this "siao lang" banging on milo tins and experiences a revelation. that was so good.

gotta try to find some of that old leslie filems soon and watch em

analog dreaming

2008-08-22T11:14:50Z

I dreamt last night i was still using my minidisc player.

I was going about trying to install sonic stage so that I could rip tracks into a disc.

I was wondering why I always leave home with only my phone and not my walkman, then I woke up to the thought of all the things I had left behind the last few years.

alfe @ 2008-07-17T15:27:00

2008-07-17T08:06:26Z

today, i listened to music that touched me, music that i wanted but could not create.

it was one of the biggest reasons i set up a home studio in the first place.

i just could not get productive. the last few years, the best hours of my days were spent meeting someone else's deadlines.

i could not quit the day job, because i needed the money.

slowly, the home studio went away.

and now slowly, everything else is closing down.

i am watching myself peel away from some of the things i love so much.

i still get a kick out of watching others play it. when it gets unbearable, i indulge for a moment.

自己不舍得买,但身边的人拥有就已经满足了.

i am determined to end this cycle.

so, i am putting myself on the block.

somebody once said,

i have no intention to be a superhero. i just want to play my music, my way.

hear this: my life, is the life of a singapore musician.

i am not going to think of the end, just the journey.

many times, there are just so many tears that i could not let out.

i got so frustrated and i lost my mind, i lost my way.

i got one thing to say: to HELL with everything.

i can give up everything, put everything away. be nothing

做一个穷人也无所谓,所有的痛苦,这种无声的岁月我都包的起.

样貌操劳,整天跑上下象一个疯人,满身的汗,没水喝,没饭吃,不用紧.

只要有一套鼓,就打到它爆炸为止!

Karen Carpenter, drummer

2008-03-10T16:38:50Z

Karen played the drums on the following Carpenters albums:

Ticket To Ride (1969)

Now & Then (1973)
Close To You (1970)

Karen Carpenter on YouTube:

alfe @ 2008-02-10T13:48:00

2008-02-10T06:19:33Z

I was shocked to read about Chua Ek Kay's death in the news this morning.

I met him several times in the course of work 11 years ago. My caucasian boss was embarrassed to have to serve him only english tea at their first meeting that she went out and made sure she had a chinese tea set for him the next time.

I learned how to make two good cups of tea from that job.

I thought it interesting because here was traditional chinese watercolour painting, as we spoke I found him to be rather westernized in thinking. I thought it notable he went back to school several times even when he got into middle age.

When I read about his cultural medallion award later, I was thinking "nice one, thanks to him now I know they give this stuff to down-to-earth fellows"

Years later, I saw the familiar brush strokes at Clarke Quay MRT and felt a comforting feeling.

I had always wanted to meet him again, perhaps by some chance. I didn't try too hard. Wanted to stay in the flow.

Now I can only offer my respects. Should have done this long ago.

Apple MacBook Air

2008-01-15T09:44:13Z

Just hours before the annual SteveNote at Macworld, the wired folks jumped the gun and broke details about a redesigned Macbook

It looks like a pshopped iMac, other sites have details about it being silver with black trimmings, unlike the above

This is speculative journalism at its (worst?) best..

If this thing has 8 hours battery life, I'll order one right away

[edit]
10 hours later.. it appears that photoshopped macbook concepts weren't that far from the real thing:

more

alfe @ 2007-12-06T13:03:00

2007-12-06T05:18:29Z

staring at 80s music videos on youtube made me sit up one late night.

i saw some of it when i was small. i still am captured by their imagination.

it was simple and captivating, and i was always thinking of the thought engine that led to this.

i didn't realise it then, the 80s must have been rather seedy and turbulent. it really was quite dark, even though a lot of the music was bubblegum and elevator.

i thought the lyrics were functional, some of them hit me now like a ton of bricks.

i stayed on this line for awhile when i was a teenager - ten people may read the same book, or watch the same film, but they can have very different experiences and convictions about it.

thats the thing, it does not mean as much to someone else as it means to you.

and twenty years do not seem that long ago, especially when you play back that song and it still sounds the same, even though you were kicking back from school that afternoon and first heard it when you slotted in the cassette.

the other thing that i wondered, were i to meet someone from back then. would the feeling still be the same?

Cloudiness 4:46

2007-07-24T06:27:33Z

i loved you for what you were, and i hated you for what you turned into.

but u grew, as i did.

and your songs grew with me, as did their place in my heart.

accustomed to your bitterness, listening to niraikanai, is like hearing you in another place, brighter, calmer.

it is not summer easily earned, 37 years in the making. But it makes me grateful, knowing that you can sound this warm.

more than meets the eye

2007-07-03T04:28:31Z

in the aftermath of the 2007 Transformers movie, i find myself looking back and reminiscing about the other transformers movie, made in 1986.

the eighties were a mellow time, bubble gum synth pop and teen idols were everywhere.

like every other kid, i was fond of cartoons, particularly those with mecha.

however, for many of them, the plot lines were far more adult than their overtures suggested, and not unlike today's anime, which addresses society's grey issues ever so covertly.

both me and hock leng (my best friend then) were stunned by the violence and brutality present in the movie. up till then, robots were only injured, but never killed. it shook our tiny world and conveyed to us the reality of the world in a subtle way which still has an impact on me today.

i loved that story to death. the prologue hit me so hard, afterwards i endeavoured to transcribe from memory every single word that had appeared on the television screen for only that brief minute or two.

i took days, and never quite got every word right.

the part i loved, and hated most was the death of optimus prime. he was one of my all-time heroes as a kiddo. his passing taught me this:

- even the strongest and wisest die at some time

- it is not what you have, but what you do with it that matters

- when it is time to go, someone else must step up

i don't know if the 2007 movie will do the same for me, or for the kids of today. but necessity of life dictates the passing of the torch, no matter how and if we get lost in it somehow.

30.06.07

2007-06-30T16:52:26Z

drumstick stash

2007-06-14T18:26:32Z

while clearing out stuff, i found a huge stash of my old drumsticks.

stuff went through my mind with every pair, especially the older ones. as a keepsake, i'll write about them.

Zildjian 5B (1996)

Wood oval tip
Length: 16"
Diameter: 0.6"

I started out playing mostly grunge and alternative rock, so these were pretty good for banging away. Its heft and weight made up for my lack of wristpower and general strength then.

Ludwig 3S (1997)

Wood acorn (fattened) tip
Length: 16 1/2"
Diameter: 0.7"

this pair was a present from kerr to me for my 21st birthday. i remembered he said he hoped one day i would be strong enough to use it. well, i still don't think i am.. but its alright :)

Zildjian Super 5A (1998)

Nylon oval tip
Length: 16 1/2"
Diameter: 0.585"

by 1998, i was gigging frequently, and desired sticks with extra reach and a brighter sound overall, so i tried out using sticks with nylon tips. i used these almost exclusively for 3 years. even up till now, i still prefer the extra length.

Zildjian Session Master (1999)

Wood round tip
Length: 16 1/2"
Diameter: 0.64"

i bought this out of fun and have never really used it *shrug*

Zildjian Artist Series (1999)

Wood oval tip
Length: 17"
Diameter: 0.6"

this drumstick has amazing length and i used it for a little while. the handwriting on the stick is illegible, i remembered it sounded russian though. i never got comfortable with it and i moved on.

Zildjian John "JR" Robinson (2000)

Wood round tip
Length: 16 3/4"
Diameter: 0.565"

i didn't think these would be great, but when i dug up the stash yesterday, this pair really did it for me, except the tip.

Hardrock Cafe Niagara Falls (2002)

Wood oval tip
Length: 16"
Diameter: 0.58"

feels like a standard 3A stick, am sure a number of folks would find it pretty good. i'm not a 3A/3B person though.

Vater Fusion (2002)

Wood round tip
Length: 16"
Diameter: 0.58"

i found this pair quite good to use for awhile. it gives extra oomph on toms because of its relatively stout heft and what appears to be rather dense hickory. despite its length it felt stumpy though, and i moved on because i couldn't get good stroking out of it.

Vater 2B (2002)

Wood round tip
Length: 16 1/8"
Diameter: 0.635"

a slightly longer and heavier version of fusion. i used it briefly as a last ditch resort for some OP gigs.

Hardrock Cafe Gold Coast Australia (2003)

Nylon oval tip
Length: 16 1/8"
Diameter: 0.58" (0.6" with silver wrapping)

never used it at all. gift from a friend when i met him up in aussie.

Vic Firth Peter Erskine Ride (2003)

Wood tapered teardrop tip
Length: 16"
Diameter: 0.575"

pretty cool stick. i really liked it for awhile, and it saved me for a couple of OP gigs. It has power yet good definition for lighter stuff.

Johnny Rabb Rhythm Saw 5A (2003)

Wood round tip
Length: 16"
Diameter: 0.54"

johnny rabb made these sticks so he could play certain sort of effects on it. i might give it a go one of these days.

Carlos 7B (2005)

Wood oval tip
Length: 16"
Diameter: 0.55" - 0.6"

i like these sticks because they are light, manageable and hence support my desire for good stroking. although inconsistent in terms of workmanship, they helped develop my ability to micro-adjust to using drumsticks that don't match.

Vic Firth AH8D (2005)

Wood oval tip
Length: 16"
Diameter: 0.565" (feels more like 0.53" - there might have been variances in construction)

(picture not available - i don't have a pair anymore...)

at the beginning of 2005, i had a strong desire to clean up my stroking for good. switching to significantly lighter sticks was an important part of that. after 6 months of AH8D, i had switched to using mostly wrist and arm power plus a good full stroke for loud hits, rather than utilising the weight of the sticks.

Vic Firth 8D (2005)

Wood teardrop tip
Length: 16"
Diameter: 0.54"

AH8D stopped production some time in 2005, so i switched to this as an alternative. its not as light and i wasn't as comfortable. but by then, i was at the tail end of my sojourn into light sticks.

Vic Firth Akira Jimbo (2006)

Wood teardrop tip
Length: 16"
Diameter: 0.585"

these are my sticks of choice now. the hickory wood used is very median, and has a very satisfying 'ping' when a full stroke is applied on hard surfaces. it feels perfect for someone of my arm and wrist type.

Zildjian 7A Anti-vibe (2006)

Wood round tip
Length: 15 1/2"
Diameter: 0.525"

i bought this for fun at nigel's and can't seem to get into the anti-vibe thing at all. it was just tryout for fun.

Others sticks i have used before include Carlos 5A & 5B, SD maple sticks, Headhunters maple sticks, Zildjian jazz sticks, but all of them i've either broken or gone with the wind somehow.

i think i shall just leave this bag at rui's. i have already put them away some time ago. it'll probably last right till when the studio closes.

tama goh's words

2007-06-06T04:53:18Z

on that day, it was obvious he was feeling it and raring to go at the audience.

i am writing this down because I know I'm going to forget some of it as the years go by. and i've had to paraphrase some of the words, because i've forgotten some of it already.

"the relationship you have with your drums does not change. we all have our lives outside, but when you sit down and play, switch it off. switch off the pager. ok now no more pager. switch off handphone, switch off your mind. the time is between you and your drums only. if you pay me to session for you, that few hours is for you only."

"i was going around playing, in peoples association and i often used tama drum equipment, or recommended it. so when people saw me around, they started calling me tama goh, instead of goh yong seng. now, if someone called out 'tama', i won't look back. only if you call 'tama goh'! if somebody called 'goh yong seng', i better look back, it might be my primary school friend."

"but i play pearl drums now! not because its a girl's name (wtf) but because pearl drums are easy to tune, and support good tuning range. i can tune it to be loud, or for smaller venue. and very quickly i can get the sound right. when i used tama, headache man."

"when i listen to a drummer play, what do i look out for? sincerity. i am listening to what the drummer is trying to express. this is how i judge at competitions. if i based it on technicality, i would have had given awards differently."

"one word of advice. not everything on the internet is correct."

"my take is this: if it sounds right, and it feels good, then it is mostly correct."

"you have a problem with grip. that means you are the one with the problem (he didn't mean it offensively!) if it is not a problem to you, then it is not a problem at all."

"heel up or heel down? my advice is use both. i was playing disco and carbaret music in the eighties, and i used only heel down then. heel down is good for control, but you cannot play loud for long. the soundman kept telling me to kick louder then. playing disco beat with heel down, i only lasted one minute."

"i injured my back 5 years ago, and had to spend a few thousand dollars on therapy. you must not injure yourself while playing. do not abuse your body. maintaining your body and your health is as important or even more important than drums."

"i have students who play better than me. i am fine with that. what i do, is i find the right people for the right job. i step aside and make the connections."

"you don't have to tell everyone your plans. just go and do it..."

i am pleasantly surprised at the frequent overlaps we have in terms of commonality in thinking. it feels good to meet someone who you recognise as one of the best and realise he is from the same backyard.

trading quotes:

me: "i don't normally gear whore, but the finishing on this drumset is beautiful man."
tama: "don't go for the looks. go for the sound! (but of course >_>) but yah, the looks are good if u bring this set and play in anugerah (malay tv channel)"

me: "are these your k customs? (i was going to tell him about my k custom hybrids) very classic, rich sound!"
tama: "yes. but different drummer play same cymbal got different sounds!"

me: "that foot technique is interesting! i can see you using your toes to control the hi-hat sound."
tama: "you got x-ray vision huh. can see thru my shoes."

me: "yes, and you know. its also not just coming here to learn everything, including the more personal touches. some of us here probably can take a step back, to just listen and enjoy your playing..."
tama: "(goes quiet for awhile) ... i also hope you like my playing, haha!"

what he said about me:

"this fellow has very good posture. he is going to be playing for a very long time."

"now you know that when you tell a guy to come out and play, it really unleash the monster inside!"

i feel amused and at the same time a little sheepish. i would say he makes generally positive and fair assessments about people, and it is definitely one that i accept and can use for future directions.

Sony VAIO G11 (Type G in Japan)

2007-02-04T17:24:45Z

i was super enthused when Sony introduced the Vaio Type G in japan and spent considerable time eyeballing it n.n

now several months later, they've launched it as the G1/G11 in Europe.

Popgadget has a pretty good write-up

the limited edition looks kinda nice too

what i like most about it is that it weighs a whisker under a kilogram (992 grams to be exact), inclusive of dvd-rewritable drive and a 6-hour battery life. i definitely would not mind adding on another hundred grams of weight for a larger capacity battery, giving it a 12-hour battery life.

my Samsung Q35 still feels heavy to lug around (its 1.9kg) especially during long days at work and school.

i'd certainly love to lug one of these on the go in the future..

he calls it the 'iphone'

2007-01-09T18:11:11Z

the thing that jobs pulled out earlier... is a phone/ipod/micro PC of some sort

i was trying hard to imagine how it worked last night (there were text-only live updates) and this page show it all too clearly *.*!

the technology itself has a lot of similarities with this thing a whole bunch of us put up recently. things are mixed up, its going nuts... i wonder what all this is going to lead to..

New Yukihiro signature snare drum!!

2007-01-03T03:55:30Z

Woah yuki is so cool *_* he turning gawth sia O_O;;

he had a hammered brass piccolo previously, i'm so curious how this would sound like being an aluminium snare user myself (not really into the piccolo thing though... but yuki is yuki i guess n.n)

more info here

[edit]ishibashi doesn't stock it yet...[/edit]

MWEH!

2006-12-10T09:01:20Z

EXAMS!!!! H8 D:<

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

This year I've been busy!

In October huiwei and I robbed a bank (-50 points). Last week I pulled psynical_waltz's hair (-5 points). Last Wednesday I invaded Iraq, broke it, and couldn't glue it back together before Mom got home (-1012 points). Last month I gave change to a homeless guy (19 points). In August I helped nichplaysjazz see the light (8 points).

Overall, I've been naughty (-1040 points). For Christmas I deserve a spanking!

Sincerely,
alfe

alfe @ 2006-11-24T09:20:00

2006-11-24T02:20:22Z

i've been reading Flea's blog and finding it hilarious how this guy seems to talk like he's streaming from Dimension X continuously at times... lollolol he shld really hangout with Sugizo some time and make some happy XDXD

in other news, i'm quite happy i got myself a nice pair of Mary Jane's :3

my audio player n.n

2006-11-13T09:55:20Z

seeing buddy mel's new audio player makes me feel like clutching mine :D

like probably every other podder out there, i carry mine around all the time. i went ahead and bought the largest possible size for its time, plonked a few thousand songs into it and update it only occasionally (esp when mervyn has new songs for me to learn -_-')

yep, its got pretty much almost everything i've heard in my lifetime.. i've put songs in from when i was a kid, songs i remember my parents by, songs that marked the different years and times in my life. it feels a little strange, and a little disconcerting sometimes to have the soundtrack of everything at your fingertips. but as time went by, i've gotten more used to it.

one thing that is really useful is during jam sessions where everybody has a different idea of how the song went, its great to pull this thing out and just click play to resolve any differences :D

i had a scare when the ipod developed a hard disk bad sector problem a couple of months ago. some songs in an album wouldn't play anymore. luckily i had applecare and got a replacement. these things don't really last i guess. it still takes too long to transfer a couple of thousand songs at a go, i'm hoping these things will become more reliable in future. they should really bring back the firewire interface for transferring songs as USB2.0 is only so fast.

my ipod was the photo (4G) generation, it doesn't have video capability and has since been superseded by two newer generations of ipod. i'm pretty much ok with it as i don't video much, although i definitely wouldn't mind having it when i buy my next player :3

alfe @ 2006-10-12T15:46:00

2006-10-12T16:00:09Z

after a fortnight's worth of night lectures and tight deadlines at work, i'm nearing the end of one of the more brutal stretches in recent memory. all that's left is an 18-hour shift tomorrow (with an evening lecture sandwiched in between), a full day of school on saturday, and i'll be lying on the dentist's chair come monday to have both my upper wisdom teeth extracted.

i've been down with several bouts of flu for the past 1 1/2 months, but gradually i've nursed myself back and am eating as much as i can every day in anticipation of a milk-powder diet for all of next week.

i've heard of complications ranging from numbness of the lips, tongue and chin which may be permanent, i'm actually quite frightened. it has to be done nonetheless, guess i'll be careful and make sure to get everything checked before the get go.

alfe @ 2006-09-05T19:28:00

2006-09-05T11:32:43Z

There are basically three important things that producers do:
(A) They get the artist to perform to the limits of his or her potential.
(B) They achieve A on schedule.
(C) They achieve A on budget.

B and C are for the most part self-explanatory, though not necessarily easy, but it is the ability to bring out the best in an artist that truly determines the producer's quality.

Producing Primer: What it takes to become a producer in today's music industry - Robert Margouleff (1991)

Software development is intrinsically a human activity. People are the most important factor for the success of your project! In fact, people make the difference between success and failure for most team-based endeavours.

Software Development for Small Teams: A RUP-centric approach - Gary Pollice, et al. (2004)