In Between

Gravity

2011-08-09T03:27:00.002+08:00

Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
No matter what I say or do
I still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone

You hold me without touch
You keep me without chains I never wanted anything so much
Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain

Set me free, leave me be
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
I'm just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me and all over me

You loved me 'cause I'm fragile
When I thought that I was strong
But you touch me for a little while
And all my fragile strength is gone

Set me free, leave me be
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
I'm just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me and all over me

I live here on my knees
As I try to make you see
That you're everything I think I need
Here on the ground

But you're neither friend nor foe
Though I can't seem to let you go
The one thing that I still know
Is that you're keeping me down
You're keeping me down

You're on to me, on to me and all over
Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long

Good morning.

2011-06-04T07:29:00.001+08:00

Keep on keeping on.

2011-06-02T10:53:00.000+08:00

Let me try.

2011-06-02T09:47:00.001+08:00

My 25 cents worth.

2011-06-01T12:20:00.001+08:00

javascript:void(0)

I don't.

2011-06-01T04:52:00.001+08:00

Elton John is singing in my head

2010-01-24T03:55:00.004+08:00

I haven't updated this in awhile, altho "awhile" is an understatement cos my last update was in october and since then Djohan has updated this three times.

What's been up with me?

Bookbinders Design, that little Swedish stationery shop closed down. I guess I can use the term "closed down" cos its plan of re-opening at a different location has not happened yet, and neither have I heard any news of it, which is pretty sad.

It was sad leaving the place, but I got the furniture sold off much to the delight of ze big boss. I've sold furniture TWICE in the span of 10 months working for

them and was very successful I might add. I hardly think I'm a good salesperson, but I would say I am good at finding things or googling things, so I found good sites to post up notices. Craigslist may be pretty dodgy(look through the personals and you will know why), but it was highly effective in getting the word out compared to the other local singapore online classifieds I posted them on. Anyway, we cleared out and moved on.

I moved on, cos in the next few days I started work at Stormlion, which has been pretty swell. As a production assistant, I do what I do best; Google stuff. Oh and I liaise with printers and suppliers and run errands. I get my own table, I work Mondays to Fridays, don't work on public holidays, my pay is always on time, there's always food in the pantry, there's a shower in the washroom, the meeting room is a game room and I'm surrounded by really great people, and the office is in a refurbished shophouse. = happy. :)

Right now, I'm tryin out to be a comic book letterer, which I never thought was a job in the first place. but ive tried it, I like it and I hope I get it, so wish me luck. :)

Since my last post, I turned 30 and felt no different. sang guest vocals in the Wakemeupmusic choir for Plain Sunset's Collabor8 album, watched plus/minus and had a long christmas break where I stayed in bed alot and then attempted to clean my room but then sprained my back and then was in bed again and then learnt the body was not made to be immobile cos we were born to move and staying in bed actually stiffens your muscles and even if you sprain your back, you shouldn't get TOO much rest, one day of bed rest is fine but on day two, you have to get up and move around cos it will help heal faster, and I went for Goldie and danced the night away, which was probably a bad idea cos then my back hurt even more and add a thorough aching body and then I got the flu again, most likely from the room cleaning and I'm allergic to dust and alot of Dust maketh a sick Dewi, and the kl guys, Love me butch came so it was hang outs and I went to the tattoo convention and met Kim Saigh and took a pic with her and of her like a fan girl.

So thats been my life so far.

Djohan's been real busy and has been since even before the new year started.

In November last year, he had an exhibition at substation with other artists for

▲ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ▲ and he sold 2 out of 3 of his prints. And I was so proud of him and still am up to this day. And I may be biased but I figure thats the best kind of girlfriend. But then seriously, his works are awesome and this coming from a quite critical creative persons point of view. I know what I like and I know what i don't like when it comes to art and design, and I like most of his works. Not all, but...most.

It's 4.30am on an early sunday, and it is time to sleep.

Goodnight and have a good day. :)

Let's go Celtics!

2009-12-15T11:30:00.001+08:00

Celtics are playing as we speak, if I'm not wrong, so I wanna give a shout out to the soldiers in green.. Let's go Celtics!

Djohan! You Moving Emperor

On the go!

2009-12-14T13:06:00.000+08:00

Figured I ought to utilize this phone's data plan, thus my contribution to this blog via the phone. On the same note, a shout out to Matthew for embracing the social phenomenon otherwise known as the iPhone :)

Spent the day with Dewi yesterday. We ended up at Gramaphone and continued where we left off last week. Main objective was to get Embrace's "Out Of Nothing", but ended up with a couple of good stuff. Calla's "Collision" went for about 5 bucks, got Dead Meadows for about the same price as well. Minus went for a dollar, and Del The Funky Homosapien's "The Other Side Of The Brain" went for 4 bucks. Also grabbed this classical compilation called "Silence" which might come in handy when some down time is needed to chill.

Have a good week fellas.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Turnpike Gates - Lifetime

2009-12-12T10:32:00.003+08:00

We would drag ourselves to bed.
And sleep took everything I had, I kept it up till he would call.
You made me feel like a criminal.
And then there's you, you kept a smile though I would always walk the wire.
You gave it all.
I gave you reason to have doubt.
I had to get out of there.
I took the stairs.
I don't wanna fight with you if I can't be the one to have you.
You sat that chair like a queen in the kitchen.
I memorized the lines your eyes made at every squint you shot my way.
We would drag ourselves to bed.
And sleep took everything I had.
I kept it up till he would call.
You made me feel like a criminal.
And then there's you, you kept a smile though I would always walk the wire.
But you're miserable and I'm useless, always making up excuses.
I made you cry too many times.
So I'm hanging up that line.
I'm throwing rocks at your floor.
I'm knocking down your front door.
I'm desperate tonight and I just wanna fight.
It's my confusion that lets me act so cold.
So now I'll go, go, go.
And you wanna be just left alone.
Put down that phone, cause if you want me just call out "hey boy".

Happy Any verse ary.

2009-10-18T21:35:00.005+08:00

A year ago today, at their friend's sham & anne's wedding on October 18th 2008, with hiphop and r&b blasting on the dance floor. Dewi kissed Djohan on the cheek at 9.35pm(according to timestamp on photo). She does not know why she did it but only that she did it spontaneously and then moved on to take photos with other friends.

At 9.36pm, she somehow found her way around the pillar and took another picture together and he kissed back.

Between these two photos there were 4 photos taken with other people. (yes, within a minute!)

Love grew.

It's been one year since then.
:)

Misguided Ghosts

2009-09-23T02:58:00.007+08:00

Hello.
It's been awhile obviously. Much has happened.I traded my nikon d70 for a d40 cos I wanted a smaller camera body that wouldn't be too bulky for me to carry around. Pretty pleased with it so far . Its pretty much an improved version of the d70 being that its still a 6 megapixel dslr, and then I found that it had an image overlay function, which resulted in the picture of us above and the picture of him that follows.. :)

I made dolls as Djohan mentioned and it got sold at the toy&comicon. That was pretty fun to make.

I made this little kitty for my god daughter.

This photo of him makes me smile, cos he's smiling!!!

Nothing much has been going on on my side lately, pretty stagnant but am getting used to my new camera, I doubt I'll be shooting professionally again anytime soon cos that somehow tends to bring that "urgh" feeling back again just at the mere thought of it. So I'd rather let it be fun just like how it used to be before i went "pro". haha.

Djohan's been busy with lots of projects with and without villains. I have been doing the last bit of vocal recording for m12. I am going to Bandung with some friends again to shop and shoot in two weeks, I'm so looking forward to that.

Today, I accomplished walking from Lido to Bukit Timah Plaza and i did that in one hour and 40 minutes or so. i was meant to go all the way home but my tummy started hurting so i hopped in a cab the rest of the way back.

why did i even walk ? i had been thinking about it for a about a year, since i was working at my last job at suntec. cos during that period i was walking alot to lose weight(which i did in a few weeks). and it seemed a great feat to walk home. suntec thru rochor and down bukit timah road is one long straight road. i always thought it to be possible although i figured it might take five hours. i didnt do it then(which was last year) cos i wasnt particularly healthy as i had those long staying coughs. and then i quit that job and well life happened and then the weather got erratic. and lately, the weathers been cool. but mainly i did it at this time, cos i havent been feeling good about myself. being that life has been stagnant and am going thru that whole soul/self searching thingamajig, i felt this walk would help redeem myself or at least make me feel better. it has. i accomplished something. my body aches now though. but hell, i did it. and i think i might just do it again... and with better shoes. i walked with my vans eras this time and my heel hurts.

ermmm..yeah so thats pretty much it. we just hit eleven months last week. we're gonna be a year old. time really does fly . :)

ps- the entry title is the title of a paramore song thats been playing in my head. theyre new album is pretty chill. its sounding a little bit country, the cardigans and folk. its been on repeat. which reminds me that i have to start thinking up ideas for m12s album cover.

Freshly Baked.

2009-08-16T18:14:00.005+08:00

We went to the comic con yesterday, and by the time we reached, the prolific artists have already made their way out. And so did the Star Wars Garrison. Dewi did seem to enjoy herself at the Ugly Dolls booth :) The remote control R2D2 is super cool. I wanted to know if it was built from scratch or if the parts were ordered in. The response I got from the people in charge was quite annoying. Was put off by the reaction. Maybe they were tired. Maybe they were obnoxious. Kinda blew a laser through my Sith heart. Wait, Siths don't care.

The convention was kinda boring come to think of it.

Met several folks there tho that made it much more fun and bearable. Saw Muhd and his wife, old school mates, an old friend who's into obscure Italian football teams. Our entourage went for dinner and headed to John's place to shoot some virtual hoops and we went on a virtual tour via Rock Band 2. haha.

Dewi had her dolls sold a one of the booths. She did such a good job. The stall really didn't do her justice. It kinda annoyed me. Cos she deserves much better. Much much better. But that's the thing with Dewi. She is great cos she's modest. She's super laid back. She laughs a lot even at herself. She's calm. Yup.

Let It Be by The Beatles is fucking annoying. Hey Jude sucks too.

Midway

2009-06-04T19:23:00.003+08:00

Wassup mah niggas! Haven't been here for awhile. Been really busy with work and projects and get too lazy to stay online beyond checking emails and facebook. Just some wee updates.

The doll project. Did these dolls for Zizi Azah's book. Fatimah and her magic socks.
Struggled but managed to pull through somehow. I vow not to make such a complicated doll template again ...unless I have a six months to do so. Haha.

I had thought about a new project whilst in the midst of the doll project and this is it. The Alphabet Project. It's really fun to do and I like how it turned out. Did this in a few hours and whilst at work, too! This letter A went to a little girl named Audrey, who turned one last week.

Some cards I did for work. simple stuff and straight to the point cos I realised most people aren't imaginative. A birthday card has to have a birthday cake or candles or the word, "birthday" on it in order to be considered to be a birthday card, so the birthday cupcake has been selling pretty quick.

Currently, am down with a cold. All thanks to pushing myself too hard and not getting enough rest. I go to Bandung in a week with Marchtwelve to record our album. I hope I recover by then and my voice is in tiptop condition. I will probably sew in between takes, if I'm not reading. I've been reading quite alot and quickly. I like getting lost in other peoples stories. I have things i need to do. One important one is setting up my room cos I have hand me down furniture that will give me my own workspace, but that will have to wait til after Bandung. And Djo will probably pass me his old pc for me to use so I can do design work in the comforts of my own room.

We love Bon Iver. Beautiful beautiful music. :)

Turn It Up... A Little Louder.

2009-05-12T00:51:00.006+08:00

I would usually update entries here with photos, but I think I'd make an exception here. I wrote the entry below on the Castles blog. Thought it'd be nice to have it here as well. Heart. Dedication. Do click the links below too.

In a world of blingz and flashy girls and Kanye Wests and Pharells and what have you, stands out a brilliant record label, Stones Throw. I got firmly acquainted and familiarized with it through iTunes sessions with John. And through that wonderfully cataloged label I found Dilla. We all appreciate good music and the dedication involved. Attached is a link (click here) that epitomized dedication and heart through the words of a mother. Dilla passed away on 10th Feb 2006 and his mom is going through an illness as well. If you guys are free, read through this article. Also visit Raise It For Ma Dukes.

Dewi Marie.

2009-05-05T09:57:00.006+08:00

Top: Cursive, South By Southwest 2009.

Wai Sum's blog is nice. Always nice links and insights to stuff.

I was looking through Dewi's old pictures and I was thinking how beautiful she is. Her eyes, her smile. Her voice and her great command of English :) She is kind, thoughtful and funny. It's a pity I don't remember the stuff we did before we started going out. Like stuff during school and the talks on the phone. I remember once though, calling her from my mobile I think. If I'm not wrong, I was at a supermarket (maybe it was at Bugis, maybe not) and had problems with my camera. And I called her cos she's very familiar with cameras and all and told her what my problem was. And yup she managed to solve the hiccup I had without much effort. She told me it's ok if I don't remember stuff cos we'd be making new memories.

Can't think of a sentence to end this entry, so I'll just screw it and end it here.

Wouldn't it be nice...

2009-04-24T20:18:00.003+08:00

Side by side at the v-lla-ns office doing our own work. Djohan's in Hanoi, Vietnam right now with the sparkle boys cos they have a show tomorrow night.

And this was what I got him for his birthday earlier this month. There were some fuck ups here and there but it turned out alright in the end. I'm thinking of doing a sparkle series, but conisdering its 45 bucks a board, it'll take a while.

In Between.

2009-04-16T01:41:00.005+08:00

Initially typed about how my SLR didn't work overseas, and how my silliness led to me not bringing proper photo taking accessories, but it didn't feel right. It has been a while since I wrote here. And during a period it was even painful to be looking this way. And it still is haunting at times.

But the warmth made it possible.
The love she gave unconditionally made it bearable.

You and me.

2009-04-11T02:28:00.003+08:00

Much has been said and done since the last post. We've had our ups and downs and we've parted ways only to find ourselves still always in each others arms. Maybe there's a reason for all of this. And I'd like to believe that the reason I think of, is the real thing. That it's not something I conjured up in my head. But I believe in faith and love. I believe in you. And I believe in us, ultimately.

I like looking down at our held hands to find your fingers closed tight around mine, cos it shows you're here and that you want to be here. And when I look away and find you looking at me when I look back and you smile and your eyes, they say so much that words need not leave your lips. And falling asleep comfortably in your arms on your bed knowing that you've let me into your life no longer guarded. I love knowing I can tell you anything and everything and knowing that you are listening to my every word, that you are ever so ready with open arms to take me in when I start to feel weak and fall. I love knowing we can be friends and lovers at the same time and I am so very comfortable with you. I like that we have very much in common and we get to do things fun and sometimes work related together, and that I could go on and on about paper and you wouldn't think I was crazy. I love that you get me.

The possibilities are endless with you. But for now, just being by your side is enough.

Tap tap.

2009-02-22T22:06:00.004+08:00

So there. Manfred and Robop. Yup. I made 'em. Now, I'm making a phone cozy for Djohan's haolian phone. heh.

Shadow play and making out. And then Djohan became Batman.

Batman getting scolded.

We passed four months by the way. It's been an amazing four months. We will be heading up to Manila 5th March to 9th. And Djohan will be away with IADS in Texas and the rest of the USofA from the 17th to April 5th(a day past his birthday). So I will probably be sewing more and hanging with the IADS girlfriends in respective empty apartments. :)

Of felt and stuffing.

2009-02-16T01:21:00.004+08:00

So I've been very into doing craft work and finally have something more substantial to show for it. It was my first ever handmade toy and I made it for Djohan, just cos he's been such a sweetheart and so that he may have company when I'm not around. Heh. It's my own version of a panda. Well, it is a panda, but most importantly it's a Matcha green tea panda, cos when I bought the felt I thought the colours went better than the boring black and white. My stitching still needs perfecting, but my colleague said, "Imperfections make it cuter." I'm really pleased though with the way it turned out and I wanted to keep it for myself, but it makes a better valentine's gift.(I don't care for the holiday, it just was a nice deadline to give myself.)

Before stuffing, the arms and legs look like green peppers.

I didn't follow the patterns exactly cos I wasn's using the exact materials required and my material was too thick...but I improvised. :)

panda is stuffed. But its close to 5am and I only have energy left to do the eyes.
The heart wasn't part of the pattern but I added it. :)

Completed the mouth and nose while at work. My chain stitch is weird.

Happy happy!!! But tired. But happy happy!!!

Not bad for a first. :)

This was the day after. So yes, I did the show. Blah blah blah. I'm more interested in craft stuff. And we have our Manila tickets booked. I'm very much looking forward to that. IADS and 3/4 gfs and kittywu for 5 days. Woooo!!! At least, we get to spend some excellent QT together before they head off to Texas for 2.5 weeks.

Things have been alright. Djohan is working with Villains in their new office and I'm crafty(yes! yes!yes!) with my colleague before the boss comes back. Haha!

Okay go!

Unsettling Mornings.

2009-02-13T12:48:00.005+08:00

Dewi was on TV and she sounded great. And i'm not saying cos I'm going out with her, i'm just saying it as it is. And someone needs to tell her that too. She thinks i'm too biased :) This week was more or less summed in the pics above, recorded a new song for Sparkle at Nick's. Office got set up and Dewi on TV.

Dewi is brilliant. She really is.

The damage done.

2009-02-03T15:38:00.007+08:00

I am David Sparkle had their TO TEXAS AND BACK fund raiser last weekend, and Djo and Mr Zahir were up on most nights working their magic for the merchandise to be sold that day. If you haven't gotten their t-shirt or poster, go get 'em.

The Swords Are Drawn.

2009-01-30T15:21:00.000+08:00

If all goes well, you'd see a screen printed version of this on sale at the I Am David Sparkle Fundraiser tomorrow. Yup!

Illustratosphere.

2009-01-29T04:17:00.003+08:00

For the past few weeks, I've gotten into this whole craft thing. Okay, it isn't really 100% craft. I think it just had to do with having this raging force to be creative. I've been inspired. Alot. Seen alot of things that make me want to do stuff. To start doing stuff. Making stuff, like I used to. It's a jumpstart. Djohan has been pretty busy as of late with Sparkle stuff, designing merch and shit, and they all look pretty good. He inspires me, or at least makes me feel like I ought to get down and be creative. :)
So, I may have jumped on the craft bandwagon. Did a little somethin somethin with cut out paper, and he got me a sketchbook (thank you, sweetie!!!) so I could start on thrashing it out in there. And I did just that when I got home a few hours ago. I did my first page and it's a start. I'll get it scanned soon one of these days. I'm excited, and thrilled to say the least. I have a thousand ideas in my head and I can't wait to put them all on paper.

It's time to get my hands dirty and I'm tired of photoshop. So, hand me the markers and glue and I'll get right back to you.

Batcat.

2009-01-23T02:21:00.005+08:00

We're going to Mogwai tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. To tomorrow as we speak. Events leading up to it. Lunar Node posters & flyers. Seeing Dewi. Watching a concert. Hanging out after. Sounds fun. Photo above taken during Sparkle's fun photo shoot a few days back. Had the other guyss shots sans A.K cos I accidentally wasted a shot and when it was his turn, I ran out of Polaroids. It's really ridiculous they're selling a pack for 30 odd dollars. Supply / demand. Sure. Whatever. Oki back to work. :)

Earth to you

2009-01-21T02:11:00.003+08:00

Hello hello.
We have been busy.
We've been working and doing our own stuff.
But we meet to make out and be silly.
Dewi's been feeling mighty creative lately, not photography related though.
And Djohan's been doing projects. No need to feel creative there. Cos he is. Period.

Dewi stubbed her little toe and it swelled. Boohoo.
Djohan is coming up with strategies for NBA 2k9.
Dewi is intrigued with collosal squids.
Djohan is a shark.

We hit the 3 month mark yesterday and we spent it at Mcdonalds.

Caution.

2009-01-15T01:09:00.004+08:00

We ventured for awhile and escaped the rain and keetos but one followed us into the cab.

Like the real ones do...

2008-12-31T18:16:00.002+08:00

Soho / Noho.

2008-12-31T14:41:00.007+08:00

Top: Something that Dewi might like. Beaten up backgrounds.

Last few digital shots of my stay in NY. Have 2/3 rolls of film I've yet to send for developing, might put them here once I get about doing it. During my last few days I bumped in Dave Chapelle, got t-shirts at really good prices and just kicking it. Tourism spots seldom appealed to me and I guess though we didn't go to the empire state building or that liberal statue, I think we have a fairly good idea how it's like being in this city. Hiphop sounded exceptionally well, via my ipod, through my nomadic rides on the Subway. And yea, I would like to come visit again. Hopefully better prepared to face the grueling flights the next time round.

Warships Ahead.

2008-12-31T13:47:00.005+08:00

Top: BB King's Blues Club & Grill.

Top: Idle Warship.

Top: Mr Kweli.

Was looking forward to this one, specially after a great set by P.B Wolf a week plus prior and after missing Rakim and Black Thought. This was held at BB King's Blues Club & Grill. It's about a 10 minute walk away from the hotel I was at. Was there pretty early, caught some earlier acts which were good, apart from a stupid kid shouting 'Dilla' during a DJ's set. So I realised my camera was left with just a bar of energy, and I thought that'd be another act after this current DJ one. So i walked back to the hotel, got extra cameras and a spare battery. Got back only to realise that Kweli was performing. Was in a mix of disappointment for missing the earlier parts, wondering who the people on stage were and wondering why he got the slot on earlier than expected. Then I realised that it wasn't his solo show, but it's a new project of his called Idle Warship (click on the link to check it out). It's not bad, but I was looking forward to more of his solo stuff. 'Get By' was performed and it was soo good. I have a short clip of it, and might just post it soon. Despite it not being his solo show, it was still a great experience. Got his autograph on the 'Listen' 12", and that sealed the night.

PS: Was hanging around after his set, near some reserved tables with tent cards on it. On one wrote Mos Def. Was da Mos in that house? Dangzz. The table looked too clean to have have someone there, and if they cleaned the table, why did they leave the tent card there? And there wasn't any sort of after-party after the show, cos the crew, both restaurant and sound guys were packing up. Dayemnnnnn.

On Location.

2008-12-31T12:17:00.000+08:00

Top 3 images: Sesame Street playground shots.

Top: Establishing shot for Friends.

Top: Establishing shot for Friends (Ross' apartment).

Top: Establishing shot for Friends (Joey's theatre).

Top: Establishing shot for Spiderman (Peter Parker's apartment).

Top: On location, Gossip Girl.

Top: On location, Gossip Girl. XOXO.

We went on a 'On Location' city tour. Passed by places where they shot actual scenes and establishing shots for movies and TV shows. The places we passed included locations for The Godfather, I Am Legend, The Cosby Show, Spiderman, When Harry Met Sally, Seinfeld, Friends, etc.

OMG! It's a bat doll!!

2008-12-29T01:11:00.000+08:00

Djohan got me a new friend. This is Bat. He is an ugly doll and he came with luggage. ;)
This is his story.

"Ice-Bat lives in an Ice Cave inside an icebox. Anything he touches turns to Ice... yet he warms your heart! Ice-Bat is lookin’ to chill with you. He wants to sit next to your computer which is also (frozen) and hang out. Ice-Bat wants to go with you. Why? He thinks you are cool. Ice-Bat wants to hang around with you...and he would like to hang upside-down too if you have the space."

And now he lives with me.

Buongiorno, Principessa!

2008-12-25T20:48:00.000+08:00

Top: I think they just got married or something.

Keep It Fat.

2008-12-22T03:23:00.000+08:00

Top: Fat Beats.

Top: Who dat cat?

Finally took the Subway, after 2 weeks of being here. It was a pleasant first ride. Went on a search for Fat Beats. Stopped a little far off the place, but it was an okay walk. Dropped in some shops on the way, saw some good deals, etc. Had some good music on, and that soldiered me through the weather. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated it to be, so it was all good. Finally found there store and I wasn't disappointed at all. Fans who enjoy hiphop should drop by this joint. The selection is massive, the staff is helpful and its all enclosed in a cosy shop on the 2nd floor. Click on the link above to visit their site. There was Barnes & Noble along the street, to the left of the shop entrance. Dropped by and got me a promising book. Can't wait to start on it. Been too slacked on the literary side.

Braved the Subway on the ride back to the hotel. Took a wrong one and ended up close to Brooklyn. Had to drop off and alight another one, think I did it twice. Didn't really understand how the system worked, hopefully I'd get better with time. The subway was what it was meant to be. To say it was a little rough on the edges would be a major understatement. There were rats, it was dirty. And at stations which were open aired, it got really cold. And to be honest, a little freaky. The combination of the cold, (sent shivers, in more ways than one) and looking at the almost foggy night sky, through the cabin windows unsettled me, to be honest.

Might drop by MoMA later today, chill at a cafe reading my book, writing entries, sketching in my journal, maybe take some film shots along the way.

Missed Cowen's wedding and from what I saw from Dewi's shots, the bunch seemed to have a ton of fun. Cowen, if you're reading this, I'm sorry I couldn't make it. You looked good in your suit too. Send my love to Sheila. Congratulations :)

Losing my fangs.

2008-12-21T06:58:00.000+08:00

There are things which are beyond us. Beyond our control. Sometimes they are but we are just too drawn out, too tired by the expected results, too drained. Happiness may or may not bring about immediate changes. I always thought that happiness is always temporary. Maybe I'm just wired that way.

But I'm lucky to have someone who makes it all bearable.

Philly / Amish land.

2008-12-20T23:38:00.000+08:00

Went on another American historical tour in Philly and later to this Amish land. Dewi claims that I should stay there instead, because of the good phone reception :)

Washington D.C.

2008-12-20T23:30:00.000+08:00

Top 2 images: The Korean war memorial.

Top: Remember the scene in Forrst Gump when Jenny came running through the water?

Top: The Lincoln Memorial.

Top: Huge statue of Lincoln.

Top: Djohan for president.

Back in the N.Y.

2008-12-20T22:39:00.000+08:00

Top: Mr Wolf working it.

Top: Me being a groupie.

Chilled in the room for a bit, before heading out to Mr Wolf. He's the guy who started Stones Throw Records, which hosts some of the best hip-hop out there today. There were 2 opening acts before, and I took a walk down the streets while waiting for his set. And yes it was pretty cold. Ah taxi drivers. The first cab i hopped on, was clueless about this place. Seriously, it wasn't that far off and come on, don't you have a directory on you? I was annoyed. Luckily the 2nd cab had a decent sense of direction.

PB Wolf did a video / DJ set, I don't know what the correct term is, if any. The video was sort of synced to the music playing. He was playing lots of old school stuff and it was nice. I waited around after his set to get a picture taken. Great.

Remembered walking by a shop which I thought was a 2nd hand store. I returned to the shop and found out that it carries studio equipment, and the coolest part was, at the back of the shop was a record section which carries a healthy dose of hip-hop, soul, etc. Got the Pete Rock "Soul Survivor II" CD there. I'm still searching for this store, Fat Beats, for Madvillainy on LP. They might also carry Stones Throw shirts.

Boss Town.

2008-12-20T21:16:00.000+08:00

Top: We get our meals at Jo's.

Top: The street where John stays.

Top: John's cat, the amazing Blau.

Top: I'd settle for this any day. Newburry.

Top: HO-AG show posters.

Top: Old random bill / basement door.

Top: Basement access.

Top: Show at some guy's basement.

Top: Ketmen.

Top: Steps from the basement leading up.

Top: The view fom John's balcony.

Top: View outside the station.

I apologise for the late updates. It gets hectic when you miss a day's worth of uploads, and the shots just snowball, and the end aftermath is pretty overwhelming. So I gathered whatever might I had, and filtered, resized the photos.

Boston had been amazing. My weekend there has been fulfilling, caught great bands, got great merch (including my Garnett jersey), spent time with a good friend whom I wish to spend more time with when we are back in Singapore. The weather was so cold it was not funny.

John brought me to town to look for my jersey, but to no avail. We ended up with NBA 2K8 instead (which we ended up playin a game the next day). So we went to Newbury, and it was nice. Fresh from the business that New York entails, Newbury is just chilled. In more ways than one since its really cold. They had cool shops and I finally got my hands on my Garnett at a friendly sports store. Down the street there was a good record / comic store called Newbury Comics. A night there wasn't enough. Got myself some CDs before we headed to Matt's place, to get some HO-AG merch. Matt lives with his wife, and they both have this really cosy apartment. I like it a lot. They grow their own vegetables and stuff outside of winter. They live at the top floor if I'm not wrong, so their balcony is basically their roof. Awesome. He was telling us about the dead art of hand printed posters, which I was surprised, cos this IS Boston. He then showed some cool printed HO-AG posters.

We then went to this show at some guys basement. It was really nice. The basement was almost a wreck, raw walls, a made do space to keep stuff both wanted and unwanted. It was my first basement show experience. Met most of the guys there, we were there for Ketmen, which Joe played bass for. It was great. Hung out for a bit after the set ended, I walked around the streets and it was unbearably cold. Matt was kind enough to drive us back to John's, where Calvin was waiting. I got some munchies at Joseph's, ate, and knocked out. Got up the next day, played a game, packed up and left for New York, Peanut Butter Wolf was playing the Knitting Factory that night. I would stay longer if I could. If not for the music shopping, then it'd be just catching up with my man John. Fashionista extraordinaire. hahaha.

Because some things...

2008-12-18T06:47:00.000+08:00

...just get too boring without you.

Cold Slices.

2008-12-13T19:09:00.000+08:00

Top: New York through my Franks.

Top: leaving for Boss Town.

Top: Big Bear

Top: Parts And Labor.

Top: Neptune. And their homemade arsenal.

Top: After the show.

Was on MSN earlier at noon when John told me about a show going on in Boston later on at night. So after some thought and consideration, I got onto the Greyhound at 3pm. It's 6.20 am and we're at John's apartment and the guys are on the Xbox. This was how the outing began. Reached Boston about 7.30 pm and John picked me up from South Station. It was cold! Dropped by his apartment and got introduced to his mates Jordan and the other folks. Nice guys they are. Headed down to the show at a place called The Middle East and it was great. Caught only 2 songs from Big Bear and they were awesome. Next up was Parts And Labor and it was great too. And finally it was Neptune. 95% of their instruments were handmade/modified effects, guitars, drums, the works. I'm pretty bad at giving music reviews, so do click on their names above to see and hear what they are about. Brilliant.

Sunshine.

2008-12-13T01:00:00.000+08:00

Forgot to charge my camera battery yesterday, so didn't shoot anything. Only at night though, walked around the neighbourhood with my video cam in the rain, thought of doing a normal street tour thingy, but ended up doing 'obscure' stuff. haha. Hopefully the material's good enough to be used for some kind of visual, for Sparkle perhaps.
Went to virgin late last night, and got myself some new stash. Talib Kweli's 12", PB Wolf's B-Ball Zombie War, She & Him's Volume 1 and M. Ward's single, To Go Home. Want to check out this hiphop record store, and hopefully I could get my hands on Madvillains on LP and maybe some other Stones Throw stuff. And also some Chocolate Industries stuff.
Dewi was asked to shoot for a studio she really likes tomorrow and I'm sure she'd ace it. Because shes amazing like that. She really is. :)

Raining cats and cat.

2008-12-11T20:42:00.000+08:00

I didn't know which was more disappointing, not going to the planned location or the heavy rain. We went to Tanglin Halt. I figured it wasn't such a bad idea cos well, Tanglin has character what with the old blocks and such. Tanglin Halt is the ghetto. But when the train came out of Redhill, it was pouring!!! We walked in the rain. Nothing. Nothing much to shoot. That is, until this cat came along. But some kids called the cat away. Bah.

We walked some more.

I had gone past this mirror twice before thinking, it'd be good to come back. And I did. But I always had dynamo blue skies in mind though. Oh well, the rain was never a good friend of mine anyway when it comes to shootouts.

On a good note however, I have proven to myself that I can never get lost in Singapore. Cos by trusting my instinct as we walked through blocks of flats, I got us to Queenstown mrt(and we came from commonwealth!) after much humor from King Julien. I must've been Pocahontas in my last life.

The Kweli in Quality.

2008-12-11T18:02:00.000+08:00

Top: Yes yes y'all!

Top: Click to see bigger image. Check out the building top (behind the lamp post).

There's some prob uploading 4 more photos here, so I'd just skip that. I spent the day talking to Dewi online, and only got out of the room 6 / 7 pm. It was raining today. Walked quite a bit yesterday and on the way home I realised that there's more hapening stuff on the other side of Times Square, where it leads to Fashion Avenue, etc.I think i was near / at Manhattan. Was walking and checking out stores along the way, and I saw this building, and it was kinda foggy a the top. And i realised it was nearthe Empire State Building. It was ultra foggy / smoky at the top, almost burning in smoke, not in flames. It looked brilliant where I was from.
Checked out K-Mart which is always great. Missed the one they had in $ingapore. Walked pass Madison Square Garden arena I think. Might be dropping by again with my folks later on. Maybe I should bring along my F80 just in case. Will see how. And yes, Talib Kweli is performing on the 22nd, somewhere near my place. Awesome.

The takeover.

2008-12-11T01:38:00.000+08:00

I just thought I'd share this. Taken in 2004 with my old trusty Sony dsc-75. I have this on film too, but I replaced it. This is a place regarded as one of my favourite places in Singapore. I like character walls. Walls that have character. I like them dirty and mossy and grimey, cos with it, holds a little bit of history. I'm not a big fan of the kind of history we learnt in school, but I like the kind of history that I can grasp. I like old photographs that depict a period of time when my parents first visited singapore. I even like the old photographs that hang on walls at the immigration building. But anyway, thats just me. :)

This building is still where it is. but last I checked a couple of weeks ago, it's been white washed. Damn those fcukers.

Taking Care Of Its Own.

2008-12-10T23:06:00.000+08:00

I like this shot. Probably the only one i really liked among the hundreds i took today. Yup there's a lil photoshopping involved.

New York, New York.

2008-12-10T21:31:00.000+08:00

Didn't shoot on the first day I arrived, cos i didn't charge the camera's battery. Damn. First thing's first. I drew first blood (cash spent) on gum and Coke Classic. I love Coke Classic. Proceeded to getting some food from a stall on the streets and headed to American Apparel to get a scarf. I walked a lot, which was a good thing. Contemplated on getting a board cos 1) it might be snowing and 2) haven't come across any skateshops. The Element boutique doesn't count. Finally ended up at the Virgin megastore. Despite being a huge ass major company probably eating out all the independent shops out there, it has a selection that is impressive. Maybe its the States in general. And the prices are great too. Remember a time when CD's were about 23 - 26 bux before HMV came and fucked it over and before Borders lost a proper CD buyer. The prices here are amazing and the DVD selection is awesome. HMV at home is nowhere near this store.

Got Cavity, Kid Dynamite, The National E.P, and Rainer Maria for my Dewi. Ah! The highlight of today's expenditure however, took place at Moma. It's closed on Tuesdays, but the shop's open and to my delight, they have Evan Hecox's monograph 'Urban Abstract'. I think I did a mini 'YES!' with my fist clenched when i saw that book hahaha.

My sleeping pattern's not in tune with New York.
But that doesn't matter. :)