New Year's Greetings and A whole bunch of Ramblings

First up, albeit a little late - like a week - happy new year and season's greetings to all. As for some of my friends, あけましておめどう。今年もよろしくお願いします。

That out of the way, be prepared for a long post as yes, I have not been updating this thing for a long time. Instead of writing about my daily livelihood - which includes eating, sleeping, wash, rinse and repeat - I decided to write about some of the things I've seen or heard for the past few weeks.

Eminence Online comes to Singapore

Since they came over to Melbourne in 2004, I have keeping an eye on this rather alternate symphony orchestra. Alternate in the sense that their repertoire does not dwell solely in classical music but the also includes choice pieces from video games and anime. I say choice here because this inevitably caters to a very selected few - i.e. anime fans and gamers who are very often quite synonymous. Selected because not all video gamers are hardcore about the soundtracks, and not all anime lovers are fans of soundtracks as well. And for the past two years, I have been treating myself to their renditions of video game music and have pretty much enjoyed myself immensely. Agreed, their performances sometimes leaves one wanting, but still it is thrilling to see and to experience those pieces performed live.

This time, Eminence stretches out to the anime/gaming community in Singapore, bringing the folks here in Singapore a reason to visit the concert halls long associated with labels like 'class', 'sophistication', 'style' etc. Not that I now personally consider them appropriate but in the past, that was my view of concert-goers. And with the small band of five, hailing from Japan is my favourite video game music composer - Yasunori Mitsuda. Now being a fan of his since Xenogears, that simply gives me more reasons I should not miss this concert. So I managed to coax Ivan, my sister and her friend in attending this show and pray that they will not be disappointed. And much to my relief, they enjoyed it thoroughly.

The first thing that hits me when I arrived on location was the throng of people filling the concert hall. Honestly I did not expect so many people to turn up for the concert. Perhaps it was the name Yasunori Mitsuda that drew the crowds, or perhaps it was the first of its kind to make a mark in Singapore, either way, the turnout was pretty incredible. And not only was there a crowd, they were responsive and accepting of the performers. I have to say that in Melbourne, the audiences were rather lukewarm compared to the reaction of the Singaporean audience. And then again, it might be because Mitsuda sensei is there. In a mail magazine published by Procyon Studios - Mitsuda's own company - the production manager (who tagged along with Mitsuda to Singapore) wrote a great section about Singapore even though the tour brought them from Melbourne to Sydney and then Singapore. There was the standard Japanese excitement about finally seeing the rumoured Merlion in person, and the comments about the humidity and heat that smothers Singapore, but most of all, it was the reception that Mitsuda sensei received at the end of the concert. A line - with me and Ivan in it - snaked through the grand stairs from the doors of the concert hall and out of my sight. Being Singaporeans - no this is not bad but sometime characteristic already - people were politely jostling to get Procyon merchandise and after the concert, docilely in line to get an autograph from the composer himself.

On a side note as each person was permitted to only one autograph, Ivan, being the gallant person as he is, got another autograph for me on the album that I bought that day. As for me, I got him to autograph my copy of the guitar score for Chrono Cross.

Seeing this great response from the Singaporean community, I am pretty confident that that won't be Eminence's last concert in Singapore.

Farewell

As promised - albeit a little behind schedule - here is my first review. After reading so many 'fanboy' ravings about Mr. Children from me, I decided to give those who at least give this page a glance-over something different. I present to you Van Tomiko (伴都美子), the vocalist from the now defunct J-rock band, Do As Infinity.

I won't delve much into the renowned D.A.I, but after it disbanded peacefully in August 2005, Van decided to go solo. After all, she has been in the music scene since late 1998 and she had grown to love it. And now, in 2006, she gifts to the waiting world her first solo debut, "Farewell".

tracklist
1. farewell
2.morning glory
3. うらら
4.Essence
5.horoscope
6.complacence
7.鵺の鳴くよる
8.HOLY PLANET
9. Before Sunset
10. Hold Me...
11. A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes (Bonus Track)

I for one, think that the title of the album is a direct tribute to D.A.I; there are some fondly reminiscent of D.A.I.'s numbers. The album's namesake, "farewell", weaves an eastern tapestry much like its predecessor, 真実の詩 (Shinjitsu no Uta), whereas tracks like "鵺の鳴く夜" (Nue no naku yoru) and "complacence" incorporates the playful and yet developed tunes of D.A.I. Yet, the album has more to offer. Van strides across the crags from Rock into Blues and Jazz, offering us lounge tracks like "Hold Me...."and "horoscope", breaking out the wine and cocktails. Compared to her previous works with D.A.I., this slow and mellow album might rub fans the wrong way round but on the contrary, I find this a delightful deviation from what D.A.I. had to offer. In a single disc, she has defined herself - at least artistically - and has stated that she is different from D.A.I. Indeed, Van is independent now; she is flying solo.

Go ahead, take a sip of what she serve and you just might find it soothing your tastebuds.

And to those of you wondering what is my recent obsession about Mr. Children, here is yet another of my favourites from them - Paddle, a playful number crafted by the genius that is Sakurai.

Cheers and till next time.

::Reading:: Iron Council by China Mieville
::Listening:: 五月天 - 盛夏光年

The Downfall

Coming back to Singapore includes a veritable assault on the wallet. For indeed, after being away for most part of the year, shut away with books and notes and unreasonably expensive goods in Melbourne, returning to Singapore liberates the half-crazed consumer within me. Let's have a review of what thus drained - and soon to suffocate - my wallet of its life-sustenance.

First and foremost, let me introduce my new clanging and twanging partner, an Ibanez AEL40. I know my initial plans were to get me a Yamaha FG720, but well, things changed when I was in Swee Lee. Sure, I don't think I will be able to use the full functionality of the Equalizers and the electronics featured in this guitar, but with its balanced notes, clear and crisp singing, how can one resist it's serenade?



Then there is the bunch of games that I swept off the shelf the moment I came back to Singapore. In alphabetical order: Gensou Suikoden V (幻想水滸伝V), Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, and last but not least, Xenosaga III.

I wouldn't go into the details of the games, but I have to say that Xenosaga III made sufficient reparations to the disaster that was Xenosaga II. Sure, there are still things that leave the players wanting, but I have learnt to not anticipate anything for doing so would surely undermine the satisfaction of experiencing anything.






And yes, after my rather unfortunate encounters with countless of imitation Playstation games, I only buy original ones now. No I am not rich, and thus, this practice has rendered me of my holiday funds and comfort living. Sometimes, I wonder if I am economically suicidal.

On top of that, browsing through the newspaper can be a dangerous activity for me too. I am no aficionado for classical pieces, but I am still interested and piqued by the Guitar Fest that is ongoing this week. With the internet as my trusty psychic link to my friends, I managed to band together a meagre band of three people to attend a flamenco giant's recital. Juan Martin is the man's name and his profile is somewhat exciting to read. I can't wait till I hear his guitar. But that is more money out of my wallet.

The next is an event that I would kill to go. My favourite composer, Yasunori Mitsuda (光田康典）is making an appearance in Singapore with a Sydney ensemble that I have been supporting ever since they organised a chamber orchestra in Melbourne. Eminence Online is the name of the group and they specialise in game music, thus the involvement of Yasunori sensei. On top of that tantalising collaboration and new arrangement of favourites from games like Chrono Cross, Xenogears and Chrono Trigger, Yasunori is going to perform some of my personal favourites from my favourite album from him - KiRite. Beautiful compositions one and all, coupled by descriptive prose and awe-inspiring photographs. Aye, I did not take really good care of the booklet that came along with the album - I had to order it from Amazon.co.jp, but it was worth the trouble - but still, this is quite an impressive collaboration between three artists. It was so popular in Japan that KiRite was transformed into a 3 -day play, an event that I would kill to go, but alas, that was severely out of my limits. However, by the generous grace of lady Luck, Yasunori is coming over to Singapore along with the Eminence Online band, there is no reason for me to hold back. The problems that continue to nip at the back of my mind are these:

i) I am broke
ii) I am doing my NS, which requires me to be on the look out for insidious sabotages by superiors.
iii) It is on the eve of the eve of Christmas, and my friends might decided to do something crazy....

Anyway, for those of you interested, the official poster is here. Trust me, KiRite is an album worth getting.

::Reading:: Iron Council by China Mieville
::Listening:: Mr. Children - ALIVE

ただいま！！ 我の故郷！

There were a few things that struck me when I got myself onto the travellator toward the arrival hall:

1) The humidity. It never fails to smack me in the face.
2) The fact that I am home.
3) The fact that people everywhere speaks Singlish.
4) The fact that I am happy to be home

Everywhere I go, there is a wet smell lingering in the air. It penetrates everything, my shirts, my towels, my bed, my table, the water running out of the shower, the food I eat. It is not quite that easy to describe it for although it carries a hint of rot and stagnation, it also has the hint of renewal and growth. You might think that I must have hit my head somewhere or have taken some bad food to screw my brains this badly, but seriously, that's the best I can describe the smell. Perhaps it is just me thinking too much. But anyway, it is a nostalgic smell, a smell that constantly reminds me I am home. I've not realised how much I missed this confused element in my surroundings until now.

Anyway, that's it for the homecoming. As a way to vent her excitement at me coming home, my mom brought me to buy stuff. And that was when I went to try out the guitar I have been researching on. It is not the best, but I don't deserve the best.



It is the Yamaha FG 720. I know that the guitars from Yamaha aren't exactly the best and there are probably better deals out there, but for now, my eyes are on this beauty. As it is, with my skills now, I am unable to let it sing to its heart's content, but I just like the harmony of the sounds. The current I have now at home is an abnormal thing that is much smaller than the standard ones and to complicate things, it insists on twangy accents; the notes are not as harmonised as the one I have back in Australia. When I entered the store yesterday, there was a lady trying out this guitar, and she and I fell in love with it. She has the skill to explore the depth and potential of the guitar, I didn't. I seriously wonder when will it be when I stop disappointing my guitars.. hmmm...

Other than loitering around in the music shop, I stopped by HMV and picked up two things that reduced my friend into a screaming fanboy. Mr. Children Albums, the best collections 1996 - 2000 and another album that Ryo recommended me two years back, but being the ignorant ass I was, I did not take up the recommendation until now, シフクノオト.



Mr. Children, Best Collections 1996 - 2000. The second album of their best collections. I didn't see the first album, 1992 -1996 although I would think that was the better of the two. Regardless, they are two good albums.

Mr. Children シフクノオト album. This is the one that I wanted to get. With songs like くるみ (Kurumi), Any and Hero , how can one miss this excellent album?

That's probably it. If any of you guys are interested in the albums tracklist, go google it yourself. :p

And my summer vacation is just warming up. ;)

On another note, I might be writing a review soon on the book I devoured on the flight from Melbourne to Singapore.

As an additional justification on me buying シフクノオト - you've heard くるみ (Kurumi) and Any - I present to you, Mr. Children, Hero.



::Reading:: Iron Council by China Mieville
::Listening:: Mr. Children - 花言葉

Macedonian Macadamias

No, Macedon did not produce Macadamias - it's an Australian tree - but who cares. History will be over this coming Thursday and that's the end of another semester for me. Oddly enough, I am pretty much looking forward to go back home this week - not that I wasn't for the last few years, probably because I have made plans for myself. NS is not exactly the cheery side of things, but well, considering that I will be meeting her after a long long time, it's got to be good right?

So here, you go, two MTVs by female singers that I like pretty much. The first is Bonnie Pink, doing a cover of the 1988 band, Fairground Attraction's Perfect. Lovely rendition.



The next is Hajime Chitose ( 元ちとせ) and a song reflecting her islander heritage. Indeed, not many people are taken by her singing style for it has a rustic quality. However, that to me, is beautiful. And by the way, her style of singing is called ShimaUta (島唄), or Island Singing. It is not the traditional Japanese style of singing. That is Enka (演歌), which is different. This song is called Itsuka Kaze ni Naru Hi (いつか風になる日). I am still trying to discover the cultural connotations of that popular phrase so pardon me while I go bug my friends.



If any of you have seen Utada Hikaru (宇多田光/宇多田ヒカル) PV for 'Deep River', I believe you would be thinking of that song whilst watching this PV too.


::Reading:: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
::Listening:: スガシカオ- ココニイルコト

Memory Lane: St. Gabriel's I

I keep remembering back to my secondary school. When the dreams faded into the cold morning air, somehow, I wasn't looking at that familiar ceiling - I was looking at the classrooms and the nostalgic stairways that we all used to run. I seldom have such vivid memory flashbacks, and each time, it is something special. I still find it rather amazing that I am able to recall almost the entire floorplan for the school. I initially wanted to create a kind of blueprint and post it up here, but well, why bother. Therefore, I decided to make do with a simple rundown.

Imagine the word 天. That's what St. Gabriel's Secondary School along Serangoon Ave 1 used to look like. Now that it's gone, the only place to find it is to dig deep into the pile of photographs within. Anyway, lets start with the left leg of the word.

(Ground Floor)

The end nearest to the gate contained the subterranean Rifle Range, the Canteen and just behind the canteen, the P.E. Store. Well, I've only been into the Rifle range a couple of times and all I know about it is that there is a rather heavily armoured armory, and a nondescript chute that never fails to catch my attention. Blame my overactive imagination, but I always thought that the chute would lead to some kind of sci-fic underground basement with metal walls and florescent lights. After all, this rifle range did serve as a Civil Defense refuge in case of air attacks.

Next is the canteen which kind of looks like an L from an aerial perspective. Not that we frequented here - we did, but it was not really during the recesses for somehow or rather, we would rather prefer to eat in class, which is of course, forbidden - but there were several 'hot spots' for the usual gang of us, 4S and 4T1 folks. Now that I think of it, perhaps our favourite table commanded the best position in the canteen : we were looking pass the pull-up bars into the field and ever so often there would be breezes coming in.

Then there is the P.E. Store, which is practically, filled with balls. Soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs, tennis balls... you get the picture.

Past that end, we come to central line of the word, where the two legs meet. This is but an empty corridor with a staircase right where the legs meet and another where the central line meets the first horizontal line. Nothing special about this place, only that the NCC (Air) and NPCC folks used to march and practise their drills under the entire school echoes with the sound their boots stomping. We - the NCC (Land) - practised out in the sun, as prescribed by some kind of sadistic and masochistic will to burn our skins and suffered from dehydration.

Next, we come to the other leg of the word 天. Nearest to the central line is the principle's office, where well, dudes get punished and were made to stand out the office for a certain time. For the last year that I went to that school, it was occupied by the taxi driver - that will have to come another time. Behind the office is a semi-open space that is designated as a study area. Not that many folks used it, but we did utilise it in our last two years, especially when the exam period was approaching. It used to have wooden benches but I somehow have the feeling that that was changed to plastic "Mcdonald's" tables and chairs. *shrug*

And next to that is the technical workshop, where one could spy signs like 'Smoking is good for health' or ruptured condoms here and there. All thanks to the teacher who supervises the technical classes. Oddly enough, he is one of those kind who makes you fear him, yet like him at the same time. A man who demands and deserve respect.

Well, it would seem that writing about St. Gab's Sec School would be a long and lengthy endeavor, hence I will split it up into several sections. Aye. The verbose bastard strikes again. Fear the words.

---------------------------------------

That said, lets return to the present. My neighbour's flowers are in full bloom today and it being a beautiful day, I decided to snap a couple of shots. I have the inkling that they are peonies, but they could be carnations as well





Yes, and now for some good music too. :p Enjoy Mr Children's goodness again. :p



And yet another one. I promised my friend I would post something of pretty girls here, so yes, one from the now defunct band, Do as Infinity. Beautiful song.

Nanowrimo/くるみ/BoC

Nanowrimo

The time has come for novelist-wannabes or those waiting to release that deluge of words within them. The aim: to spit out a 50,000 word manuscript come 30th November. This crazy verbal marathon starts on the 1st of November, at 00.00.01 sharp. Well of course, only the most fanatical Nanowrimo fans would be watching the clock this closely. But for the rest of the writing world, this month will be filled with much agony, grief, relief and pleasure. Having embark on this marathon once last year, I've realised how difficult it was to actually come up with a viable story that will stand on its own until the 50k mark. My first manuscript - a project started in 2003 or 2004 - casually crossed the 50k mark in the 6th chapter, and to my horror, that was not even half of the full story. Indeed, I had an odd goal in mind when I was writing that manuscript: 200 pages of pure words, 10 - 12 chapters, implying that each chapter to be at least 20 pages. That was before I knew about Nanowrimo and I was doing that during my free time. Come Nanowrimo 2005, I decided to rewrite the story, condense it, change some elements and squeeze it out by 30th November. Needless to say, I failed miserably. I was only halfway to the finish line when the candles burnt out and my story stopped talking to me. I guess I am not the kind of person to really stick a project to a dateline, particularly a personal project.

Well, I decided to shamelessly plug myself here by including a teaser from the first manuscript - that mammoth of a story - since I still quite like it.

'That Besas is a member of the Cabal is a fact; his family laid the foundations to the cult. They funded and sheltered those who lost the revolt twenty years back. The Haros own a facility south of Melopick that to this day, function as a refuge to the Light Bearers. The reports I hear about that particular property is grim.

I have also been keeping a close eye on Aurl ever since the last skirmish ten moons back. When Besas was installed in Dens Hold, all but two scouts reported nothing amiss.'

Crest frowned. 'Were they silenced?'

'Unlikely. It would only draw more suspicion. I have since sent in one of my best men to assess the situation. It looks bleak my friend.'

'What of the fort?'
'The scouts reported no anomaly. But there have been fresh graves dug.'
'The plague?'
'I can't say but many soldiers have since fallen. The yards are bursting at its seams, but Besas is still able to maintain a healthy turn out.'

Crest eyed Saal. Treachery was a matter, slander and accusation of treason was another. He trusted Besas, but there was no way for him to doubt Saal. Life indeed, loved to toy with his loyalties.

'Where is he recruiting the men from?'
'De'mocka. Harmless enough,' Saal said. The town of Cerylon slid into view as they climbed the last rise, its fired clay roofs welcoming the two men. Twin turrets rose form the centre of town, framing a large belfry atop the local temple. The bell was silent now, smothered with a flock of pigeons purchasing rest within its intricate shadows. Voices drifted upwind to them, laden with the smells of market and commerce.

'Crest, where is Besas' homeland?' Saal asked softly.
'De'mocka.'

Saal felt the wind's warm and gentle touch, thick with spring and the market. He then made his way down the dirt track, his moccassins lightly crunching the gravel beneath.

Well, for some of you, that is a whole chunk to digest, but well, I am not accused of being overly verbose for nothing. So the question now remains,' Am I to participate in this year's Nanowrimo.' I don't think so for I feel like I want to take it slow this time - it's been a while since I last wrote anything. But it does heartens me to know that SG's Art Council is endorsing the event and even sponsoring the Sg Nanowrimo folk with some laptops. So that's that. I might occasionally dump some of my old stuff or even new stuff here, so watch out for the big blocks of words. Most of my friends are visual artists, I consider myself a verbal artist, though I am still learning the ropes.

Mr. Children / Bump of Chicken

One must wonder with the strange names that Japanese bands come up with. But having immerse myself in them, they slide past me like mathematical equations to a maths Major student, or Jung and Freud to a psychoanalysis student. I think this is becoming somewhat of a habit, me plugging videos after a big block of writing. Something like a reward for reading eh? Perhaps. Anyway, enjoy. Attached is one of Mr. Children's latest songs, くるみ(Kurumi). Really tear jerking stuff. But great song. As someone wrote, 'The world had the Beatles. Japan has Mr. Children.'




The next is a song from my favourite band, BoC. Most of you would know them for 天体観測, a song that gained them popularity in both Japan and then later in Asia. Their history is really interesting and quite well, dramatic, considering that all 4 members attended the same kindergarten and high school together. This is a song called 車輪の歌 (Syarin no Uta) or the Wheel's Song. Simply awesome.

Enjoy

P.S: Decided to change the template of the blog cos the last one was too dim and well... depressing. ;)

::Reading:: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
::Listening:: Spitz - Je t'aime