Inspiration from inspiring musicians for the inspiration hungry listeners Part 1

After listening to so many artists, I think the album of the 1st decade of the 21st century should go to Red Hot Chilli Pepper's Stadium Arcadium. Listening to John Frusciante is akin to smoking weed and getting closer to the higher beings.

Wake and Bake baby!

Bah, I've never smoke weed before but I do not need drugs to get high. John's simplicity and the use of effects on his guitars, that fuzzy, muddy and plucky music, stirred with Anthony Kiedis's psychedelic vocals is a recipe to spiritual narcotics.

A musician does not have to be a soprano and croon like Whitney Houston or be able to sing like Mariah Carey's falsetto or run his/her fingers through countless of Arpeggios and pentatonic scales on instruments at top speed. Just listen to Frusciante, his solos are so simple yet alluring. He could even control overdriven sounds to make coherent music and phrase it melodically.

Fucking talented.

And do you know one of the inspirations John Frusciante looks up to is the legendary Jimi Hendrix? Without Hendrix, Steve Vai, Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Stevie Ray Vaughn and other legendary musicians would not have appeared in the history books and I wont be able to listen to good music.

=D

Out of boredom in camp, I asked my buddy about his current situation with his girlfriend. He started to complain how his girlfriend put him as the least priority and so on and on, which most couples have fought or are fighting over about, hence making it so boring and cliche. So i decided to tell him the little quote in the picture. Well, he was pissed off after that. I as usual, was laughing loudly at him.

And then I got really serious and tell him. If your girlfriend makes u the least priority because she can't get over her ex beau; dont fret over her and dump her for good. Why bother wasting your time over someone who doesnt care about you. It doesnt make sense right?

After that, i proceed to laugh at him once more. Seeing him so down, I started to sing my favourite hokkien song, one little umbrella. Both of us started to sing the song, reminiscing the good old times.

sian ah, now I have to go back camp for tml's guard duty. SIAN! Pray for me mann.

Anyway, this Stand By Me is covered by a male A Cappella Group from Indiana University. Such impromptu performance as a way of saying thank you to the fast food outlet staff is a very touching thing. Awwwww..

Being intelligent, being appreciative and lastly good music. Trust me, it will make your day.

I was talking to my dad over dinner about the monotony of army life and at the same time, explaining what am I really doing in camp everyday. I have difficulty explaining to him what is Intelligence in mandarin. Imagine me having to say I am a chong ming soldier.

Well, I guess my dad probably took it literally. You see, I am the luckiest bastard in the army. I am drawing a 3sg's pay with combat allowance. I do not have to do SOC, i stay out and I rarely have a chance to wear my helmet anymore and I am PES A. My dad probably thinks that I am really so chong ming to manage to slack till this state and so he just nod his head with approval everytime I try to say i am an Intelligence spec.

He would probably boast to his khakis about his eldest son having a bright future ahead, afterall his son managed to siam the bane of the army and enjoy the fruits of it.

Shit, I hope my chief clerk doesnt read this.

Anyway, today is a super boring day. I came to camp and sat on my laurels for a whole damn day. I did a few camp passes, reduced a few red-tapes and built up relationship with my boss. It took damn long to reach 5pm. While waiting for time to pass, I started to ponder introspectively through thoughts about myself. I was thinking how often I contradict myself. But after awhile, I came to a conclusion that Man will always think that the grass is greener on the other side.

Its funny how I dislike Infantry life, digging trenches, living in the jungles for a mere 4 days and yet regretted not going to Infantry when I'm in Artillery. As a matter of fact, I LOVE war movies. I can watch numerous reruns of Band of Brothers or Black Hawk Down and I will never get bored. I love military history, inspired by the valour and heroism of individual soldiers that fought the great wars. Perhaps the monotony fuels the resentment but even till today, I would still think that Infantry life has the fun thing to it.

I have never like Science since primary school, neither do I like the languages. I loathe over Literature back in Secondary school and prefers studying for my Science subjects because I think its the most important subject of all. All my life, i picked Science as my route of advancement without hesitation. But later into my JC years, I always have that feeling that the Arts stream is always better than the Science stream. I would also think that I should have taken Economics instead of Physics or I should have went Poly instead of JC. It goes on forever.

Well, I guess I dont really appreciate the things on my side. I hope it doesnt happen when it comes to marriage.

Im surprised you are still reading on. Anyway, I bought an album by a local singer, Bevlyn Khoo weeks ago. Its only available at Gramaphone and she puts up only 1000 cds for sale. Reminds me of another Olivia Ong. She has excellent diction for her mandarin songs even though some of her songs reminds me of National Day theme songs. She did a pretty good interpretation of La Vie En Rose, which is one of my favourite. Unless you hate Bossa Nova and Folk, you guys should listen to her and support local music!!

The good & The Bad.

Refresing and relaxing. My kind of down-tempo chill out. Olivia has a voice so calm, so sweet that could really de-stress you. It makes you want to go for more. Its a big contrast from those pop idols that go for sex appeal. Honestly, most of her songs are pretty boring but I listen to the lyrics and her voice. That is why I'm never bored of her. I think she pawns Lisa Ono mann.


















I bought Sheryl Crow's latest album weeks ago. I demo-ed a couple of her tracks before deciding to spend some money on it. But as I went through the whole album at home, I regretted buying it. Even though she hasnt changed her country-rock style that much, she tried to write about peace and political issues in her album. Bah.

Im going to meet up with my friends for a nice cyle down to West Coast Park. I went a couple of weeks ago and realised they have removed the fencing, so now I could see the sea. Though not as impressive as the views from the beaches down at Sentosa(it was too cluttered near the shore), but the sea breeze and tranquil is worth your time.

Its a crying shame, to have hopeless sorrow.

I dont know how to put it in words but Bic Runga penned a line that really describes everything.

"Its a crying shame, to have hopeless sorrow."

I am going back to my unit tomorrow. Back into a shithole. I am going to miss my trainee life for the past 1 month because it was purely a break from shit. Even though I have to go through 3 exercises and stay in on some nights, I would still prefer to stay at camp X. And more shit is about to fall on me because i will be the guard comd for next sunday guards. I have only little experience on being a guard comd. Hai, i think i prepare to sign 3 extras la.

There is one thing that is bothering my mind right now. But i can't just type it down here. I think the only way to solve this is to avoid bad company. pretty easy ah. But sometimes walking on the line can make life pretty boring. Morals and life or 18 and life?

Oh where, oh where can my baby be?

Many many weeks ago, shourav, stephanus and me gathered at ben's place to jam. Unfortunately, kunal and sugar cldnt join us otherwise it would be so much fun. They were jamming last kiss and I fell in love with that song since then.

Today, i heard it over the radio and have been putting it on loop at youtube.

They say the lyrics to this song is actually true.

Pearl Jam - Last Kiss.
Oh where, oh where can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good,
So I can see my baby when I leave this world.

We were out on a date in my daddy's car,
we hadn't driven very far.
There in the road, straight ahead,a car was stalled, the engine was dead.
I couldn't stop, so I swerved to the right.I'll never forget, the sound that night--
the screamin tires, the bustin glass,
the painful scream that I-- heard last.

Oh where, oh where can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good,
So I can see my baby when I leave this world.
When I woke up, the rain was pourin down.
There were people standin all around.
Somethin warm flowin through my eyes,
but somehow I found my baby that night.
I lifted her head, she looked at me and said,
"Hold me darlin just a little while."
I held her close, I kissed her--our last kiss.
I'd found the love that I knew I had missed.
Well now she's gone, even though I hold her tight.
I lost my love, my life-- that night.

Oh where, oh where can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good,
So I can see my baby when I leave this world.

shrewd history

I was as usual searching for my favourite singers on wikipedia. This unfaltering determination for knowledge is needed to quell my daily urge to be more intelligent. But somehow, that night I ended up reading on the History of China when I only intended to read on Olivia Ong. Through the links, I spanned more than a few topics, ranging from Olivia Ong, to money, to Singapore, to some other stuffs and finally reaching History of China.

Within that 1 night, I have that impression that Chinese were actually pretty shrewd before the Qing Dynasty fell. Makes me appreciate that I was born in a modern society with plenty of morals and ethics. Try picturing a criminal being sentenced to a slow death execution in the streets of China. The criminal being fed with excess opium to keep him alive while his skin is being cut into smaller pieces for the sake of humiliation. The Chinese do get orgasmic watching this.

How about the strict discipline in the army of premodern China. Yue Fei wanted to execute his son for not executing a drill properly. Failure to comply with orders awards you with decapitation. What the fuck? Its pretty shocking to me that my ancestors have lived through such a backward era.

Ok, im going to sleep and not think about how shrewd and backward Chinese were 100 years ago. And pray hard to all the different Gods that me or eric junior or eric junior the 3rd and so on and on will not suffer the same predicament.