Takin' It On To The Other Side..

Jasper's 24th.

2012-01-12T16:10:00.004+08:00

True story.

There were plenty of other things that went wrong that night, anyway.

Ah.

2012-01-12T16:07:00.001+08:00

So this was what happened.

Yay.

Faith (Original) .. Take Two!

2012-01-05T00:51:00.002+08:00

Have fun!

Faith.

2012-01-04T02:42:00.001+08:00

Something I wrote based on emotions, faith, and being "natural".

This song has some elements that I have never played live, or even bothered to focus on.

Couple of cool mistakes I discovered with constant recording. :-) Enjoy!

The Effect.

2011-10-25T00:48:00.002+08:00

I'm a little bit late on updating my experience with the whole Steve Vai Masterclass that took place in Australia (And I went to the Melbourne one), and I must say that it's amazing.

If you play an instrument, I encourage you to go if you have the chance. It's the only time you get to learn the most valuable asset of a musician such as him, and that is intellect.

The clinic was amazing. It reminded me what life should be, and even if you face the slightest frustration that "pisses you off", you should learn to understand that it could've been worse, and others are actually facing it on a bigger degree.

I mean, you could be missing a limb, but you're born perfectly, right?

So why have all the negative energy when you're completely normal and when it's a waste of time?

Plus being angry does quite a lot of harm to your body.

Why?

There's a lot of things that you can do to achieve your goals. And the first thing you should do is to ensure that you're going to do it with passion. Ensure it excites you too.

I'm not going to call you a douche because you don't understand or if you think this post is is stupid. After all, what others say is none of my business. What I do, is my business.

Self Reflections.

2011-10-16T21:31:00.002+08:00

I was pretty hyped up about the whole Steve Vai thing that's going to happen tomorrow.

For those who're a bit backdated, I'm in Melbourne as I'm typing this out. The Steve Vai Masterclass takes place tomorrow at this place that's..somewhere...near...this place I'm staying.

I'm currently staying with an old friend of mine for about 9 years (but we started talking in 2004, so that's 7 years of good friendship). The last I've seen her was 5 years ago, and I'm really glad that I saw this random advertisement about Steve Vai's masterclass and .. called her up, asked her everything that I needed to know, and BOOM.

I'm here, a week before my finals, and one more day to watch the guitarist I'd never imagine to meet (not personally, but it's close enough!).

Getting back to the point, I was really hyped up about it. But as my friend dedicated her weekend to me (with the fact that she's working and all!), I feel really touched, appreciated and at home. And this trip; this unplanned getaway made me realise that the really good friends never move away from you regardless of what you do!

I feel really great. It's been years since I really went about doing the things that I wanted to and stuff like that without the fact of being tied down to a certain schedule/time or something! I actually feel pretty relaxed and I'm having a great time.

Melbourne's a beautiful city, and I was watching some light show at some art exhibition at town area. It's .. great. Music made me appreciate more than what audible art is. The amount of effort being put in certain works and all, I think that's a good effort that requires attention and respect by the public!

And to all of my friends that have put up with my personal shit, and random music status updates of my journey in Music itself, I thank you all for your patience.

A Minor Shoutout.

2011-10-06T08:57:00.002+08:00

In the world of technology, there's always been a great battle between Macs and Windows.

As much as I hate the idea, I always appreciated both machines. One was just comfortable for me to work with, the other is extremely versatile. You can heavily game on one machine, and you can't on the other. The other works smoothly when it comes to recording and plenty of other junk.

But today, I did not expect the person I looked up to as a visionary for a company that was ready to be in the dumps.

I always admired his presence on stage, how he held the audience in his keynote presentations with regards to the release of a brand new product. As much as how some people hate the current CEO (which I don't. I'm just confused why people would hate another individual when it's all about work sometimes? After all, Tim Cook tapped into the flash-memory industry for their iPod lines), the previous previous one had passed on.

A true visionary, and a rather interesting leader. Sadly, he died young, and he was really strong fighting all sorts of cancerous activities in that shell of his.

Thank you.

RIP, Steve Jobs.

Setup?

2011-09-24T00:15:00.000+08:00

Mmhmm.

Sweet.

Another Cover!

2011-09-19T22:17:00.000+08:00

And there we go again.

Aeris' Theme :)

Cosmo Canyon (Cover)

2011-09-17T23:45:00.002+08:00

Trust me, this is bloody spontaneous.

I hope you enjoy it.

I was testing out Omnisphere, a new plugin I got for my recording stuff, and .. My word, this application really scares the crap out of me. So many patches and stuff to pick from. It's insane!

Of course, I always have owed my open mentality to the likes of Nobuo Uematsu and Harry Gregson-Williams.. So here's a rather random product when I'm not that serious.

Do check it out when you're free!

So, remembering back..

2011-09-12T21:43:00.002+08:00

I managed to go for these clinics:

Malaysia (Surprisingly!)

2004 - Mike Mangini Drum Clinic

2006 - Wes Borland Guitar Clinic (it was FREE and not many were there!? WTF!)

2008 - Mike Mangini Drum Clinic (Again!)

2009 - Andy Timmons Guitar Clinic, then Boston Brass Clinic

Australia:

2010 - Virgil Donati Drum Clinic

And this year..

2011, October 17th - Steve Vai.

It's like a dream come true.

A Dramatic Turn of Events

2011-09-10T20:21:00.002+08:00

After several cleared issues, I managed to obtain the album.

I'm a Mike Portnoy fan, and also a Dream Theater fan. So when I say that they're missing an element off the drums, I'm saying something must've went wrong during the mixing process. If it was mixed to be a little bit heavier than "clean"-drums, I think this would've captured my attention.

And finally, after years, John Myung writes!

On another note, this whole album is a spiritual-emotional experience. It's bittersweet watching Dream Theater recording with a new drummer and all, but it sounds so good at the same time.

I must say a job well done, and it might take me a few more listens to really get used to this album's concept.

When You've Lost It; Look Back.

2011-09-09T15:54:00.004+08:00

When you think you've clearly lost it, and the world's against you. This is what you do.

Sit back, think about the past, reanalyse yourself and understand what made you the person you are today.

Yes, I'm talking about taking a big step backwards, understanding yourself, and seeing if you can actually accept what you did before that made you the person you are today.

And if you think you've lost all sorts of beliefs, turn back, and start your metronome.

Of course, with that said, I'm not coming up with another emo blog post or something, but I'm rather happy to share that I've turned myself back to 2004, understanding how I picked up speed and endurance on the guitar in fast playing on some certain licks.

Until today, there's a specific lick that I can play with speed. But if you slow me down and look at how I play, I'm cheating the notes I played. In fact, nothing comes out clearly sometimes (my case, all the time).

So, I decided to put "playing the guitar" one side, and take up "practicing the guitar". Sure, if you're playing a song and all that, that's really cool. But paying attention to the details on how you're playing and perfecting your mistakes - and UNDERSTANDING your mistakes, that's another different blow to yourself.

If you're a weakling, you might find that a bit demotivating. But if you're really up for a change, and improvement, I think that's the best step so far.

What pushed me to "go back to the roots?". Simple. Rhythm Knowledge by Mike Mangini. To cut things short, he and his students found a study that if you were to practice a certain technique, or part of a song, for 90 minutes per day, 4 days a week for 6 weeks, you'll sustain the ability to play that practice session for quite a bit, until you degrade.

Which is pretty interesting, because I used to play the A minor scale in reverse with quadruplets to familiarise myself with scales for the first time in 2004. Every single day without fail, I'd play that. Only because, that's the only thing I knew how to play back then. Exactly after a month of hard practice, I realised that I "shredded" on that quadruplet riff taught by my guitar instructor, and learnt the concept of scales on a guitar's neck.

But here's the magic. I never thought of "playing fast" or "shredding". I just wanted to play that A minor scale right. And playing it right and well, was my objective rather than "shredding".

If you were to ask me to play that A minor passage today, I won't be able to do it as well as I used to in 2004. My problem is that, BECAUSE I already mastered it back then (and not applying it to songs and jam tracks anyway), I am not able to play that passage at the same speed as I used to in 2004.

The common, and most saddest thing, about instrumentalists these days (drummers, guitarists, bassists, percussionists, violinists, cellists, violists, fluters (??), keyboardists, pianists), is that when they're self taught, they just want to jump into hyper speed on the first try. I'm not kidding about this. I've seen a couple of friends (and family?) of mine doing this. And it's really hard to let them know that to play quickly, you have to play slowly first. Master everything, and build up speed with patience.

Little do they know that they're actually killing their muscles to achieve what they have in mind.

I built my speed picking naturally, and I must admit that it isn't perfect. That's why I'm going through this whole "therapy" of "slowing down" (I even had issues playing clean & properly at 100bpm when I was doing a simple semiquaver [notes in 16th] practice!).

It took me a month of long hours of practice per day to realise that I was actually building up speed gradually, and naturally.

If you don't believe me, just attend Mike Mangini's next clinic and ask him about training on speed. Drummers have it as the worst when it comes to building speed without applying the right techniques and concepts. What Mike Mangini said back in 2004 when someone asked him that question, he said to never go against nature - this means never go against what your body can NOT take.

You have to build speed, gradually. The best way is to practice from slow, and eventually, it'll be quick. I did 2 repetitions of 90 minutes of the same thing with tempo variation (a few in 90, a few in 100.. a few in 120.. But didn't go more than that). And I realised that I was having fun rediscovering myself on what I did when I was a younger guitarist.

I was a guitarist back then, not a musician.

Of course, with life as it is now, since some of us might have jobs, or are attending school, or doing both at the same time (!!), all we want is to go home, and just pick up our musical instruments and start playing what we feel like playing. That's because we've already "mastered" the instrument based on our own expectations.

But we're never the master of our instruments. Even professional musicians are constantly seeking ways and methods to get better. And you can ask most professional musicians, I bet you most of them (or all of them) would say that they really missed the times when they could just sit down and practice, rather than to play, their instrument as they did when they were younger.

On another note, do not forget the most important thing. If you're not recording your 90-minute practice sessions, then pay attention to what you're playing:

- Make sure you're playing clean. Watch unethical habits that you could have applied (like mine was to string-rake when I wanted every note to sound clean).

- Make sure you're hitting the right note/notes at a time

- Make sure you're playing with the metronome.

More importantly, don't underestimate yourself. Playing the 6 same notes in a single measure for 90 minutes, you're bound to throw yourself off somewhere. So pay details to yourself.

Also, know what you're playing. Make sure you understand what you're playing. The notes that you strike, timing, and everything else. It's all part of the learning curve.

August 2011

2011-08-25T20:04:00.002+08:00

Hey guys! Whoever still reads this, I salute you because I've been neglecting it. A lot.

But hey! Let me tell you a story. In 2004, when I started picking up guitar lessons from a local guitarist in Penang, Kelvyn Yeang, he spoke of many names that I could never grasp. Of course, back then, his hero was none other than every shredder's hero; Yngwie Malmsteen.

Yakkity yakkity yak, and I picked up G3 2003, the one that feature Yngwie Malmsteen as the guest. On the same DVD were Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.

That's when I saw this tall wizard, getting on stage with his rather.. stylish shirt.. and strapping on his triple neck Ibanez JEM.

For a kid who knew nothing about guitars and only knew of double neck guitars due to the influences of Metallica and AC/DC, I was flabbergasted.

And today, I just made a purchase:

Yup, living the dream. I could only imagine watching him on a TV screen (it'd be an LED monitor in Blu-Ray with times like these) and that's it. The most I've been so far was Mike Mangini and Virgil Donati.

But it's Steve Vai?

I sacrificed Van Halen, only because I didn't have the funds for their expensive tickets. This one costs $80, and we get to have a proper in sight of what goes on with his mind.

Truly exciting.

I really can't wait. I found a reason to.. be happy again :)

Slight Updates, Again.

2011-07-16T02:39:00.002+08:00

Yup, by now, I think you must've realised that I don't really do much.

Well, nothing to be done really. Besides the fact of this university I'm is really messed up in plenty of ways. I'm surprised that the most disorganised faculty is the faculty I'm in. Like seriously, how could you mistake a student to be excluded from a course when the performance was average? Well, besides the fact of failing one subject (and soon to be passing that supplementary paper anyway). And for the other two subjects, I got two credits, and not two passes.

So, bitches, time to fuckin' wake up and do you bloody job.

Anyway, I'm shit bored at home when my brother's not around because I can't whoop anybody's ass on Mortal Kombat, and I have yet to babality Shao Kahn.

Err.

Nothing much. Plus my HDMI cables hasn't arrived yet. One of them would be from Hong Kong, and the other would be from the States that got shipped out a few hours ago.

I'm switching from DVI to HDMI now for my setup to reduce desktop clutter. Will see how will that work out.

And when the HDMI cables kick in, I'll be really busy:

All for the cause to get thoughts off my mind. Life's not a bed of roses, really. Not anymore.

Which brings to my other rant. The interesting bit about people when they change, and when they turn sour. Guess some people do take things for granted every now and then. But then again, we're not around to change the lives of others, so it would be unfair for me to comment on their current status in life.

Perhaps, this semester, it's about time that I picked myself up, and left everything behind. After all, what is the point of effort when you get rejected?

Again, With The Updates.

2011-07-10T22:51:00.002+08:00

So, depression is the worst. It directly affects my bank account.

With that said, I purchased a $70 Blu-Ray player that supports USB ports & 7.1 DTS surround sound. Which is kind of cool. It's cheap ass Blu-Ray player, and I've built my mini Blu-Ray collection.

Also, I'm selling a couple of Magic Trackpads if you all are interested - One for auction and one for bids:

$90 Trackpad
Auction - Magic Trackpad - available for worldwide buyers + free shipping

So if you're a Mac user, and who's got a wireless setup like mine, and you're out of Trackpads, head on there and get something (if you want to?)

I moved into my new room after my housemate moved out, as well. It's not that bad, but I learnt my lesson that you shouldn't live by the window on the ground floor during winter. It's bloody cold.

Other than that, my finals wasn't that bad. I still failed Banking & Financial Institutions, but hey, what can I do about it? Lecturer's a dick, I'm an ass, so it's common for me to fail.

Nevertheless, I'm working hard for the supplementary paper. Things should look well.

Till next time.

PS. Tomorrow: Semester 2 begins.

Slight Update.

2011-06-27T01:06:00.003+08:00

So, I got down and dirty with creating an official Facebook page for myself. It's better to diversify my music stuff than my personal life so others won't be annoyed with it, I guess?

It's a win-win situation, although I don't really like the idea of.. having that Facebook page sometimes. It's fun, and I see the numbers growing!

If you wish to follow up on a less cluttered update scheme, do head over to the right of this page, and click on "like" on Glacius!

Alternatively, you can head to this website - My Official Music Page on Facebook and click like.

Most of the songs will be featured under "videos", until further notice.

Also, I've been speaking to plenty of Malaysian (to me, local) guitarists, and one of them came up with the craziest idea after I sent him a sample of a new song I'm working on. He suggested that we should collaborate and work on a song.

Sure, who wouldn't like that?

But he's speaking to -me-, you know. I'm not going to hog the spotlight myself, so I asked him.. how about featuring the rest of the guitarists we know?

And the ball started rolling.

I can give you a hint, and if you're a Penangnite. The people involved:
Richard Leong
Jean "Glacius"
Kelvyn Yeang
Chiat
Eric Neoh
Alfred Oh

And we're still awaiting for the better musicians!

I'm really looking forward to this project, and the upcoming song that we're going to produce.

I must say, Dropbox does make transferring files a lot more easier.

Season of Heartbreaks

2011-06-24T22:12:00.001+08:00

A song that I wrote in 2005, recorded in December 2007 as an experiment, and now with a matured mind (but still requires a lot of practice), a new rendition's released!

Enjoy!

Memories.

2011-06-21T23:15:00.002+08:00

This is good. This is really good.

So far it's the first day of my finals that finished, and guess what I'm up to?

Here's a hint:

I'm just practising on what I can really do with what I have around me, more importantly, stuffing my mind up in every aspect to get every piece of creativity to get things up and running.

Right now, I'm redoing one of my old songs that I wrote with a cheap ass keyboard (that was worth RM10?) entitled Seasons of Heartbreaks. This time, minusing out the crap flute, and trying my best to not stuff in guitar works, because I want to see how far I get with my own creativity based on MIDI technology.

And believe it or not, I was sitting down here for about 7-8 hours staring at the screen, producing stuff and having dinner in between.

Rather progressive, I must say.

I wish I could do this all year long.

Streams of the Unknown.

2011-06-13T02:38:00.002+08:00

Sometimes when you put in too much input, you get nothing in return. There's only a handful that really kick you in the places you expect, and sometimes, when you least expect it. But most of the time, nobody really bothers to kick you back. Regardless if it's on the face, stomach, trying to break your ribs, and plenty of other things.

But sometimes, when nobody's there to give you a good kick, it makes you wonder if you've lost everybody, or you've lost yourself?

Some questions are meant to be unanswered. And most answers are meant to be unquestioned.

I've taken a risk; I took a really good jump.

But this, is one of those times, where I actually regret bits and pieces of it. It's like I finally landed flat on my face, and I understand how it is like to be a failure when it comes to accepting facts and decisions.

It's problems like these that made me rant out as much as I want to. But ranting it out, doing what I do, being who I am today, performed divisions to worlds unexpectedly.

Not like I wanted this to happen, but I am not the controller of fate.

It feels like I've lost everything up to this point. Perhaps karma for not appreciating the finer things in life. Sooner or later, I'm going to look back and regret everything I have done.

Perhaps, to not accept myself for who I am was always the first problem. This leads to plenty of other issues.

It's hard, really. You know what's going on with the world, but the world won't look back on what you've achieved.

And it's through rants like these that allows others to distance themselves from one another. Regardless if it's distance from me, or distance from the rest.

It's been six months that I've been floating around like a specter. A wandering soul, that is lost endlessly in all streams that leads to life.

Some find it easy in life, some find it challenging.

But really, this is not what I want.

Maybe one day, I will regret how this day will change my life forever. Or maybe not. I've made promises to others before, but I haven't done one for myself.

I promise myself to be a musician, the guitarist that I am, who lost his heart to all of the instruments around him.

A puppet with a soul, yet without a heart.

It's not too late to really kick start this year for myself.

If someone can give me a birthday gift, please give me time as it's the most valuable thing in this world.

And I'm sick of relationships, the whole issue with feeling love, and getting yourself in and out of everything. Maybe you're the one reading this, or not. You're always welcomed to read what I write. More importantly, I can pretty much fuck off because I really can't be bothered what happens to anything around me.

Bona fide.

2011-06-11T02:30:00.000+08:00

Disassembling the 1TB HDD I had with me for years since I first bought it in KL in 2008.

It's interesting to see what's inside and what made it tick.

Cool experience. Just being nerdy tonight. :)

2011-05-30T19:52:00.002+08:00

The clustered thoughts of random emotions,
Mixed, like vomit.
Taken in, then thrown out again.

The time that passes,
A sign of success or failure?
The light dims.

The future is untold - and will never be shown.
The cracked lips with never-ending blood flows.
Yet, still alive, and it ponders.

Never again, shall one be whole.
Impossible,
Such insignificance.

Let Them Talk

2011-05-29T18:34:00.001+08:00

I am completely biased, but I just got this album off iTunes:

I'm completely blown away. Finally I get to listen to this.. Doctor play good blues.

The Final Bit.

2011-05-25T23:50:00.001+08:00

The final step for my quest for tone would be the Line 6 POD Studio UX1, and boy, am I amazed. I guess I can pretty much throw away all of my pedals now.

But that's the problem. It's all digitalised and, my God, there's a shitload of things that can be done.

Can't wait for the finals to be over so I can get down and dirty with this!

I recorded a crap version of King of the World. Not perfected in every way to respect Neil Zaza's original composition.

Oh well!

More updates next time!

ART TubeMP Studio V3 - II

2011-05-20T23:44:00.003+08:00

So, here are a few shots of the ART TubeMP Studio V3.

I was writing that previous blog post on my iPad before I slept, so I got a tad bit lazy to explain further.

This is my very first tube preamp, and yes, I do see the point of people arguing back and forth between solid state amplification technology and tube amplification technology (speaking from the perspective of a guitarist - although this can be use for plenty of other things).

The thing that captured my attention about this preamp is because that it has 48v phantom power, runs on 9v AC power, it's small..and has a VU meter which is very pretty!

Plus this retails for about.. USD$70 ~ AUD$100 after shipping based off the stores here. I got this via eBay.

I had few runs with this earlier on, and I had no idea regarding its potential, but, my word, it really does give your instrument .. a different character if you're running it directly without EQ. An interesting thing about this preamp is that it comes with a limiter system (called OPL in their terms), and it works pretty well.. But I'm not a fan of limiters when it comes to guitars and stuff. But if you're blasting the input up to its maximum, then the limiter will come in handy - especially if you don't want to accidentally get some tube distortion.

Sure this is a studio-equipment thing, but I doubt I'll caught not having these with me during gigs or practice sessions.

It sounds -really- good.

What an awesome step forward in my music journey!

ART Tubemp Studio V3

2011-05-20T15:25:00.001+08:00

I must say, being a growing musician, I always see the debates of tube-technology amps, against solid state amps, and everybody's making a big fuss about it.

Today marks the day that I see at the uninteresting debate turns into life, and it DOES make a huge difference.

I just got my ART Tubemp Studio V3, and it is amazing! I spent hours again rediscovering what the tube technology can really provide in terms of tone, and it does make a huge difference!

Trust me on this one, I couldn't help myself but smile! It sounds really good!

Vision

2011-05-18T19:35:00.002+08:00

Vision to the furthest,
With nothing in sight.
The breeze, and the rain,
The scent of corpses in the air.

Vision to the furthest;
Empty roads,
Empty lives,
Empty souls.

Trapped within,
The screams for freedom,
The exoskeleton,
The punishment.

The voices in their heads,
The brightest lights in the darkness,
Time;
A paradox.

Skinned to the knees,
The beauty in horror,
The moving eye; the stitched lips.
The banshee's screams of joy.

Vision; removed.
Thoughts overrun.
Freedom in an arm's reach,
Stolen by failure.

Warriors by day, crippled by night.
War put up by fights after fights.
The hung spirit,
Trapped within its beliefs.

Vision; non-existent.
Death becomes irrelevant.
Pass the phase; to understand the truth.
Lies the ultimate beauty.

Uh..

2011-05-15T16:53:00.002+08:00

So my setup will be the Line 6 POD Studio, the M-audio Oxygen 25 and the Art TUBEMP Studio v3.

Now..to figure out how am I going to get everything up and running ..hmmm...

Of Tone and Preamps.

2011-05-15T16:37:00.001+08:00

Sure, I overspent on an overall average of $100, which is my critical level, but I couldn't stand it anymore.

So, I'm running through a solid state amp, the Roland Cube 30X, and always wanted a tube amp.

Problem is, I never had a tube amp. Or a good one. Until I remembered about .. Preamps in studios.

I bought a cheap ass one for fun - $100? Will see how different it is. Can't wait to see how well it does in the digital side of music.

It's called the Art TUBEMP Studio V3. When it arrives, pictures will be up.

Till then, my fellow friends.

Unleashing Thoughts.

2011-05-14T23:52:00.002+08:00

Empty promises.

Not to say that I believe in karma, or anything, but if I can't even fulfill my own promises, I don't think anyone else will fulfill their promises towards me.

Guess it works as a double edged sword.

So, what should I do? Branch off from the world, escape from the past and begin a new life?

It's more to like a reset button on a device.

If I do that..

.. Really, how many people will remember of the existence of one who faded?

Another mystery of life, and suicide.

Hot Toys - Iron Man Mark VI

2011-05-12T18:56:00.000+08:00

That's the new addition. The dude on the left.

More shots @ My Flickr site.

My God, the job done by Hot Toys. You gotta love 'em, and hate 'em at the same time. They define imperfection perfectly.

Minor Update.

2011-04-27T18:22:00.000+08:00

So, we broke up.

That's about it.

Don't worry, I'm fine. It's because I'm just way too busy to be depressed about this issue. I will regret my decision one day, and the imperfected side of me would be the part where I will never forgive myself for being who I am.

BFD2.

2011-04-24T19:18:00.000+08:00

After I saw my friend use this, I just..had to get my hands on this.

I'm completely blown away.

2011-04-21T16:37:00.001+08:00

Dead awesome. Classic prog rock.

The Quest for Tone II

2011-04-21T10:06:00.001+08:00

Watch this space. Upgrades owing soon to enhance music production.

Are you scared? Because I am!

In Depth View: King Of The World.

2011-04-16T21:51:00.003+08:00

You can view the whole writeup here, if you're interested to know some behind-the-scenes in prior to recording that video!

My First YouTube Video!

2011-04-15T23:04:00.005+08:00

Have a listen! It's a cover off a brilliant guitarist - Neil Zaza. This is one of his songs from his album, 212.

Yeah, and I was a bit nervous on the camera.

Pardon the mistakes! Enjoy!

PS - Neil Zaza mentioned this in his Twitter, and also replied to that YouTube link!

So.

2011-04-10T23:26:00.002+08:00

I hate it when this happens.

Sometimes, you know what you're doing, but when you really look at it objectively, you know that you've got completely no clue about what you're doing.

The only thing I know what I'm really doing is that when I pick up the guitar.

On the studies side, on the other hand, is a pain in the ass. On one matter, everything seems clear. But apparently, I've got short memory issues, so I tend to forget everything that I know of.

Which is clearly a bitch.

It's been a few times I've hit rock bottom. I am truly depressed.

Till All Are One.

2011-04-06T01:09:00.002+08:00

Yup, my first Optimus Prime figure. Waited for years to get one of these guys.

Of course, if you follow up on Transformers, you know that Optimus Prime is the biggest image when it comes to being a complete good guy and a leader.

And .. well, it's with me.

Too bad I didn't order the one with the trailer as planned. This is the 2011 edition, where it comes with the soundstage that features the Japanese voice actor in the animated series. Awesome!

Getting Back On Track.

2011-03-31T20:48:00.002+08:00

.. I know I'm not supposed to mention this but..

I just reminded myself of a very important tool to top off my guitar stuff, and that's the Line 6 TonePort UX1 audio interface, which is not available anymore.

But it's just a name change to the Line 6 Pod Studio UX1.

So a few months from now, I hope to get my hands on one of these babies. I think I've been eyeing on one of these for a few years now since a couple of my friends are using it. It's a very powerful tool.

2011-03-30T21:02:00.002+08:00

One more time
Show me how to live
One more time
Just let me be

Like the crow overlooking a corpse
Let it be;
Nothing but meat,
Lifeless without a soul.

Like dolls in a museum,
Eyes overlooking on its admirers.
What are you thinking?
What do you see?

The future is a mold,
Of dirt and clay.
Put down the hammers and tools,
But don't remove your hands.

The future holds a light,
But after the light, comes darkness.
Like day, then night.
The sun, then the moon.

Darkness claims the half-hearted.
Decision makers, to decision followers.
The pouring blood,
The missing vision.

The Next Step.

2011-03-30T20:30:00.002+08:00

The next step is for me to stop procrastinating and finding short cuts to figure out stuff that should not be figured out to kick myself into gear, and into motivation.

I really hate it when something like this happens, but hey, what to do?

Things are looking pretty okay on my side, I need to learn to relax for quite a bit. But then again, I can't relax too much or I'll end up procrastinating.

The next step refers to me finally calling the dude I'm supposed to meet in Melbourne. Good timing too, because he mentioned on the phone that he was going to leave Melbourne for another two weeks. The only thing I can say besides good timing is..

.. Damn, he travels a lot.

Well, in his position, he'd better be traveling a lot. It's part of his job, so at least he's just being responsible.

So, another call should be lodged during the mid of next month to see if everything goes well.

But that doesn't mean that all will be well.

I should really start saving up for the Melbourne trip. I'm really broke. I'm going to break some rules soon.

PS. Mortal Kombat is awesome. If you hate it, you'd better stick to watching your Teletubbies because I think that is what excites you.

I Know, I Know..

2011-03-29T19:24:00.000+08:00

I know I'm not supposed to keep things abstract, but I have trust issues.

Sorry guys.

All I need is for me to be in your prayers, and I hope I don't screw things up. That's good enough for me.

I never felt so lost.

The Beginning Of .. Well, A New Beginning.

2011-03-24T09:45:00.000+08:00

Sweet.

So, what's to download now?

Before I End The Night..

2011-03-22T20:49:00.001+08:00

Here's a band that many real music enthusiasts know of; and it's sad to say that I just recently discovered pure talent from these guys.

They're called Rush.

And here's one of their songs that I find rather interesting to my ears!

They're simply amazing!

So..

2011-03-22T20:40:00.002+08:00

Minor updates:

Uni's being a bitch. I was slightly motivated in one of my subjects that seem like a constant back-2-back workload of assignments that depresses me. Now I see why it should be a group assignment instead of an individual assignment.

Purely, it's my mistake for taking it up as an individual assignment anyway. But hey, too late to turn back now. I've got a few more days until the whole damned thing is due.

Hopefully all goes well. I've been looking at this excel sheet since this morning and trying to figure out if it was alright. Apparently, it's not. How DO people cope, anyway? Or I'll just conclude that my level of understanding is not equal to those around me for this subject.

Or these subjects, for this matter.

Due to this subject, I had to retract to Windows, and running Windows on my Mac. That was how dead serious I was with this assignment because I was too dead lazy to work with it on my netbook (which is collecting dust until Top Gear, House or How I Met Your Mother releases new episodes.)

Ah, fuck. I think I'm beating myself up too much.

Or too little? Maybe going a step further won't hurt much, right?

I know it won't hurt others. At least it'll show some decent outcome if I perform everything rationally.

Oh, and I cut my finger at work. I still can't play the guitar. I cut my finger at work on Saturday afternoon. I decided to slice off the dead skin at the moment, so I see a bit of my red flesh underneath it. It was a deep diagonal cut. It should be alright by next week, I say. More Neil Zaza/Van Halen practice next week! I'm planning on taking up I'm Alright (generic Neil Zaza anthem) and Van Halen's Panama (Just because it's full of rock n roll groove!)

That's about it from me, guys. Hope you all have a good week ahead.

So.

2011-03-17T22:48:00.001+08:00

Another night of getting to bed, having the same thoughts, and the same demotivated crap.

Hope you readers are having a better time than I am.

God bless.

Thoughts.

2011-03-11T22:13:00.002+08:00

So, another month passed.

And I'm still on the urge of killing myself.

Another one of those thoughts about how people can actually change over time, and never look back.

Which is a good thing.. or a bad thing?

Is change even recommended?

Is change the best method to overcome a certain situation?

Like governments, they will not believe something they spent their time so long to nurture (or invest), even if the outcome is going to reflect bad issues.

Sometimes we have to learn to let go.

Sometimes, I have to learn to let go.

Now I See.

2011-02-17T19:37:00.002+08:00

... what's the big deal with external monitors.

They make me lazy, but hell, it's to fully utilise the maximum resolution you can get out of something, and TVs and standard Full HD monitors don't really do anything good.

One interesting thing about this Samsung monitor I've got though - the panels / controls are all touch-based. Which is annoying at one point, especially at night if the lights are off, somehow.

And sitting in an odd position (no thanks to my minor collection of figures) to see what's going on in one screen and what's going on the other, etc.

.. shit man.

I really need a workstation for this crap. Haha!

I'm having the time of my life.

---

On another note, I should get less committed with some issues in life if I continue to be unappreciated.

Not to say that I don't really give a shit, but if this goes on, I think it's better that one pulls themselves out from an issue than to stay.

Like a dying leaf on a healthy plant. It's like a disease.

Oh Hello!

2011-02-17T15:16:00.002+08:00

Besides the fun of getting a shitload of new DVDs and a new pair of speakers,

Meet my.. ultimate break for the Mac.

... You don't know how happy I am.

Next test: Top Gear in 1080i

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA

Snap Back To Reality.

2011-02-16T15:32:00.003+08:00

You never know what will hit you when you know that you're destined to fail one day.

I wish for a lot of things.

One of them is that I should not be around in the world so it can be a better place to live in.

I really can't be bothered with life right now.

It's the same shit, but different days.

I Am Such An Ass.

2011-02-15T19:10:00.002+08:00

I know.

I decided to follow my roots in music and bought these three:

David Gilmour, Eric Clapton's Crossroads, and KISS.

How awesome is that.

But that's not the end of it. I only have my Sennheiser HD280 PRO to assist me with these musical journeys, and the lack of the low ends makes the likes of Gene Simmons, Billy Sheehan, Geddy Lee, Victor Wooten and many others sound like shit.

Hence..

Gah.

Boy, will I have an awesome time tomorrow catching up. Hehehe.

Oh Joy!

2011-02-10T15:40:00.002+08:00

I might and might not get the vacancy that they have for grabs!

Here's a hint, after JoeyShinoda told me what's going on with Next Byte (Especially when I was checking out their website at the same time), they were offering a spot in being a part-time sales consultant.

I've only did sales for 24 days, and it's pretty interesting. Especially, the only way I learn about stuff is actually through practical work.

Whatever it is, I would love to learn more about the opportunities and technological improvements for Apple products.

Heee. :)

Hot Toys - War Machine

2011-02-04T20:23:00.003+08:00

So, today I got this awesome little figure. A figure that collectors would die for.

Hot Toys.

I've never heard of them, and I've always been loyal to SquareEnix's Play Arts Kai (.. Until recently due to bad QC), and you know what?

I've defected.

I've never seen such detailed work based on a movie star. James Rhodes' face (based off the movie) looks like.. Well, HIMSELF.

I was suckered into Hot Toys after seeing what they did to Stallone. And Stallone looked like.. STALLONE!

I'm impressed!

So here are some shots off my Flickr gallery:

Of course, there were some issues with the LED on the head area, so I opened the battery box. Without realising it, I managed to screw up the screw that I was screwing on (!!). So I found a replacement. Found these bunch of brass screws that's meant for trains and wooden tracks and stuff. Pretty interesting thing, but yeah, these screws cost me $5.50, the screwdriver set costs $25.50, and extra batteries to be replaced would be $10.

Great.

Anyways, the screws, followed by the rest of the shots.

I'm just surprised at the amount of effort the team puts into in designing a figure on display. I believe that this would be the 2nd most expensive figure I have up to date in my collection. The first one would be my Takara Masterpiece 04S.

I mean, look at the detail on that face. At one point, it looked really realistic.

Actually, it does look pretty darn realistic right now.

Of course, I was rather amazed at the articulation of the fingers, so I decided to see if it really could grab onto something non-Hot Toys related.

.. Like a Takara Masterpiece weapon.

.. Let alone, Megatron.

Oh how awesome!

The other question in hand is: I'm not sure if I'm willing enough to pay $200 ++ for the upcoming Iron Man Mark IV figure that I preordered. I can always cancel it since I did not pay for a deposit fee. Heh.

And this is what you do if you have more than one War Machine head.

A limited edition Jungle Fatigues Big Boss:

Hahahaha!

New Year Resolution - The Amendment.

2011-01-11T01:50:00.002+08:00

So, Penang has been great.

Not really.

My mum flipped when she re-remembered that I failed 2 subjects on the first semester, and calculating the costs on how much those bloody subjects were in MYR.

I mean, in AUD$ was already a headache, but if you convert it to MYR, you'll just pee in your bloody pants until you turn anorexic.

So, here's my new year resolution for this year. We (or rather, my mum and I - for the first time) had a serious discussion about financial rubbish.

I can assure you a few things:

A major cut in toy collections (A lot of good ones coming out this year!!)
Custom model guitar going to be postponed.
My 27" iMac might not pull it through (especially when I got the MacBook Pro, it kind of eliminates the purpose unless if I really want to be an ass to myself.)
Expanding my pedal board.

All because the funds will be pumped into funding the most important thing in my life:

.. Myself.

My education, the mess that I've created through my failure, and my decision of taking up another room that will increase costs for me and my brother, so on and so forth.

Guess I have to work hard, and study hard.

This is just the beginning.

Hopefully my email will be heard of, and the steps to my career will make it through. If all goes well, I might move from Hobart to Melbourne by the end of this year, and get a TR / PR straight if possible.

I will stand firm on this year's resolution. Because I really want to achieve this.

I really want to.

New Year Resolutions.

2010-12-29T12:15:00.002+08:00

I have to be frank; I make promises and I keep them. The promises I can't keep would be related to relationships because, well, shit happens.

But in the world, we have friends who do their resolutions, and sometimes, it's great to think that they set their resolutions and all, and would attempt to achieve it.

I don't set resolutions; because I hate living life by the lines.

But here's a list of achievements for this year:

Got the iPad
Got the iPhone 4
Got the mini-rig that consists of a BOSS DS-1, BD-2, DD-3, Jim Dunlop BG-95 and the Roland Cube 30X
Got a guitar that I've somewhat dreamed for 6 years - two years prior to the time I started playing the guitar.
Managed to collect figures that feeds my inspirations (If you noticed, the Takara Masterpiece MP-01B, and Sneaking Suit version of Big Boss)
Managed to consistently catch up with studies, and work.

Then again:

Failed 2 subjects on the first semester, and 1 subject on the second semester (results pending as I got a supplementary paper for it)
Killed my entire leisure time due to studies, and work.
Failed to meet my savings for this Malaysia trip.
Uncertainty in financial stability.
Uncertainty in future job security.

So, pros and cons.

I think this will be a good lead for me to place my goals for next year.

And the first step's always in getting a job.

.. But what about a career?

BetterTouchTool

2010-12-28T19:25:00.005+08:00

Here's another review of something that I installed to customise the hidden potential of the Magic Mouse (and if you have one), the Magic Trackpad.

One thing that I mistook the Magic Mouse to have, would be the pinch-to-zoom ability that you get on the standard trackpads that comes with Macs.

Boy, was I wrong. I think I nearly sprained my wrist due to its odd gesture.

So I did a quick search on Google and I found this - BetterTouchTool.

Better known as BTT, It allows you to add custom gestures to your devices (regardless of the trackpad or the mouse .. and normal mouse too!), and you'll be able to customise everything from head to toe, inclusive of the gestures.

As ironic as it may get, I wanted to customise the "pinch-to-zoom" feature, but ended up pretty buggy.

.. So, I downloaded BTT because of pinch-to-zoom, but ended up not using the feature.

But then again, with shortcuts, my mouse extended its capability. And I'm pretty amazed at the Magic Mouse. I always wanted to understand how was it.. "magical".

You can't consider technology .. as magic or sorcery. It's physics, engineering and science. So, how did they actually manipulate the damned thing?

I'll figure it out when I have the time, and when I stop being impressed by such.. performances.

Here are some screenshots of what you can do with BTT (and my custom settings too)

The above menu is to show the available gestures that you can pull off - along with modifier keys.
These are the available commands / shortcuts you are able to assign the gesture to.
Live view - where you'll be able to check out your gestures and the assigned shortcuts.
That's three random fingers on the Magic Mouse. Cool, eh?
Customisable settings.

I find these things interesting.

On another note; my MacBook Pro is running on an Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4GHz, and I just found out that with full respect, the i5 processors mounted on the Dell Inspiron n4020 is at .. 2.4GHz.

Please, Microsoft. You have definitely got to do something about it. Your GUI interfaces is getting way out of hand with insane resource requirements, and you're allowing manufacturers like these to provide shitty hardware to support your Mac-wannabe graphics. You all should've used Windows XP as a benchmark, and improved there.

As long Steve Jobs is around, you all are screwed. Not that I'm being extremely biased to Apple; but if there were to be a Google OS, I'd happily give that a go. It's just that the OSes that Microsoft provides is a bloody risk for me, and I quit taking risks when I have my dreams to achieve.

Too bad. You may say that I'm a biased bastard towards Apple, but face the fact - you'd want to own one as well.

myPhoneDesktop

2010-12-28T17:24:00.005+08:00

Here is an app that spoils me in my iPhone.

I always wished that it would be easier to somewhat sync my data from my computer, to my iOS devices. Sadly, I can't do much about it. I can send myself emails, but if someone hacks into my account, they'd think I'm pretty dead lifeless.

I was surfing through TUAW.com, and I saw this list of apps you should have for your devices for this year. And the reviews of it are promising!

What I can do, is that I can use a shortcut key (command + C + C) and it pushes the highlighted item into the app I have in my phone (MPD)

It's a pretty smart app. And if I were to be at home, I can just stop the hassle of keying in my key code for my iPhone (it's a keyboard thing that you can on iOS 4.0 onwards on the iPhone 4/iPad) .. And I use it to push it to my phone!

If push notifications are off, you can manually access MPD, and it performs a data pull instead.

The contacts are not the contacts in my iPhone, but it was sync'd via MobileMe, so I was able to load my list from my MacBook Pro's Address Book.. Which is pretty neat!

The downfall of this app, on the other hand, is that you need to access most of it through MPD (except for copy-paste texts - where it will be in your clipboard for the iPhone for you to paste).

I LOVE this app!

Having one eye bigger than the other.

2010-12-27T01:05:00.004+08:00

In relation to the title, I have no idea what to say.

But one thing's for sure, I just found out about this thing called BTT - BetterTouchTool - To solve all stupid issues and questions that I raised for the Magic Mouse that I have for this MacBook Pro - pinching to zoom, and all that.

And I'm pretty surprised at the technology of the Magic Mouse, by the way. I didn't know it detects pressure sensitivity.

How DOES Apple do this anyway?

And as you can see, I made my mouse into a whore. A mouse that controls my Spaces windows, volume and brightness control, and all

I'm still trying to make a shortcut for it to shut my laptop down for the heck of it.

Life's good.

I think.

I don't know.

Bah.

Merry Christmas.

2010-12-25T03:49:00.002+08:00

It's been a while.

Just a quick update, I've been here since December 15th 2010, but I've been dead busy meeting up with several mates from Kuala Lumpur - ranging from friends to ex-colleagues.

It's all good and awesome, really.

And I'm writing this from my new MacBook Pro that my family (specifically my mum) got me due to the frustration on my netbook, and it's horrid.

Well, what to do.

Finally, I converted to a Mac user.

I'll use my Windows for all the risky downloads. Heh heh!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, all of you. Speak to you all soon.

The best way is to perform, is to..

2010-12-07T12:11:00.001+08:00

.. Take a step back.

I remembered that the first time that I messed around with my iPhone, it made me realize that; I'm more sane and in focus with my objectives when it's off and not functioning.

Every single detail distracts me, and its time to eliminate all sort of relate thoughts and 3rd parties regardless of what they are.

And after 40 days of work, (officially since 29th October 2010 to be fair) tomorrow is my first day off until Saturday where I will be working until I fly back to Malaysia.

This should be interesting.

Hope all goes well.

Till then, I'm going to nail this stupid supplementary paper.

Virgil Donati in Hobart

2010-12-02T15:18:00.001+08:00

Been quite a while since I felt like this. I'm actually looking forward to this!!

Oh yeah!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Some Say..

2010-11-28T18:25:00.001+08:00

That she was Vin Diesel's girlfriend in Fast and Furious 1.

And some say, she blasted heads of zombies in Resident Evil 1

Some also said, she was the bad ass pilot in James Cameron's Avatar.

And out of randomness, some say, I managed to get two pictures with her.

She is the closest I could get to Hollywood stars, and her name is, Michelle Rodriguez!

(I forgot to let her be the first to sign my guitar's plate though. Crap. It'd be the coolest thing ever)

Hope you have a safe trip back to the States, and thanks for dropping by Hobart with a kind intentions of saving the whales!

More of her story can be found at her blog, mainly stating what are her true intentions of her being in Hobart - which really makes me respect her as she is using whatever in her willpower to help nature - like how I would love to contribute to Heroes 4 Kids (through photography) making the lives of disabled kids being just as special as we are as an individual.

Her blog: http://www.michelle-rodriguez.com/blog/?p=47#more-47

I Can't Believe iTunes.

2010-11-27T09:08:00.001+08:00

I just realized that my search ended for Neil Zaza's album.

They're all featured on iTunes. Definitely worth the buy.

Problem is, 16.90 x 8. I'll need to work more to earn that money first. That's Nearly a day's pay we're talking about here. Lol

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Grand Turismo 5

2010-11-27T08:10:00.001+08:00

Here comes the game that all car-racing enthusiasts been waiting for.

I was rather blown away of the graphics on the game that requires a massif 8GB installation onto the PS3's HDD.

To fully utilize my GT5 experience, here's what I have. A table, a chair and a Logitech Driving Force GT steering wheel.

But here are the in-game shots I managed to pull off with the game's long time feature (and upgraded too), the Photo Travel.

Sadly, not all the shots of cars were able to be taken as they were split into 2 categories - standard and premium.

Only premiums are available to be used for shots.

And to race too. Heh

But my word, the graphics is intense. my testicles nearly blew itself up when I saw the shots for the Audi R8; it looked so.. Real!

!

2010-11-18T13:58:00.001+08:00

Yeah, the "!" that comes from soldiers when you're discovered in Metal Gear Solid games. Heh..

But besides playing Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, my headphones arrived! Not another Sennheiser (Although I was planning to get another one), but..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mglacius/sets/72157625415231740/

Go check it yo!

My Skype headphones. HAHAHAHAHA

Ah.

2010-11-12T15:53:00.004+08:00

I always waited for my Fender Standard Ash Stratocaster to arrive in Australia, but it never got assembled (or bothered to be looked at) in the first place by Fender USA. Due to several reasons that I am truly disappointed about, I will not state it here, as I've already mentioned some of it in my Facebook.

But nevertheless, I spoke to my dealer and I understood their situation, hence I switched from a Fender Standard Ash Stratocaster to a Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster. Degrading from an ash body to an alder body. They had a few of these in stock - only available in amber or olympic pearl.

And since my JEM JR is already white, and the pickguard looked weird on a white surface, I went for amber.

And boy, does it look ebtter than I expected!

I gave it a test run with and without my effects, and I enjoy the tone of this guitar with AND without my effects!

I'm really satisfied. Now I need a better amp and a few more pedals to make my quest for tone complete.

Oh boy.

I am really happy.

This is my first guitar that I fully paid for.

Working 8 Days A Week.

2010-11-06T21:01:00.001+08:00

Well, imagine if you had 7 days, and you had 7 shifts in a day average, thats considered as working 7 days a week.

But what if you started off early and then you work two shifts in different places? That would be 8 days a week then.

Then again, it could be worse. Like your normal plans being cancelled and then you have to step in, and yeah, you get more shifts in less days.

Last week, I think I did 9 shifts, I think. So that's 9 days.

What scares me is that starting next week, I think I might do double shifts nearly everyday.

Oops.

Well, till the time comes anyway. I cant be bothered right now.

Then again, I've got to shoot for an event this 13th of November, 20th of November, 5th of December and some time around that period because of this non-profit organization I'm associated with (as a photographer!) called Heroes 4 Kids. Great bunch of mates, and they get to run around in costumes and suits that have a high benchmark in getting yourself in the group.

As for me, my heroes might not fit them. Heroes like at The Stig, Big Boss and plenty of others as well anyway. Plus, since my brother usually asks me to shoot for him, I might as well use that knowledge and skill to shoot for them instead.

Plus with the new SB900 in my hands for a temporary basis, I think I'm going to further out whatever I stopped in learning about photography.

Just that I still have the manual to read about its settings and all that. Then again, that comes into the question of .. Having an extra day in the week to read about something.

Bloody fatigue. I hate and love you at the same time.

The iPhone 4

2010-10-30T19:47:00.002+08:00

Now that I've got a clear mind, I'd like to write a little bit about the phone that I bought a few months back:

The iPhone 4.

Costing at AUD$859 for the 16GB, and $999 for the 32GB, which made it $20 and $60 cheaper compared to the previous model, the iPhone 3GS, which costed $879 or $1049 for the 16Gb or 32GB model respectively.

They announced the iPhone 4 being available in both black, and white. But the problem recently, they ripped off the white iPhone off the online Apple Store. Some say that it will be available in Spring 2011 (US time, so that's Autumn here in Australia; somewhere in April). But by the rate that it is going, they should not have announced it at all.

Now, basic specs of this phone:

960*640 resolution
Apple's very own Retina Display (at 326 pixels crammed into an inch)
Flash storage of 16gb
Apple's very own A4 processor (where if you scrape the A4 and black wrappings, you'll see "SAMSUNG" on it.)
Front and rear camera where front is 0.3 (VGA), and rear is 5mp camera with built in LED-flash.
Full glass body with a matte-finish stainless steel band.
512MBs RAM.

Those are the things that really captures that my attention. Another annoying fact that captures my attention is:

Uses micro-sim card.

For a smart phone, it is pretty dead slim. I never thought a slim phone would make a serious difference in pockets and putting them on surfaces. That compared to my Nokia 6151, boy, it makes my jeans look really bad.

Then again, they boast about it being the slimmest smartphone. We'll have to see about that when Windows kick back into the phone category, and when Android updates their OSes and related phones.

Now, there is a really huge difference after using the iPhone 4. The display is astonishing. It is as uncanny as waking up to a fine morning right beside to Cameron Diaz. After using this phone for months, I am able to see pixels. I have a 64GB Wi-Fi iPad, and..I'm seeing pixels on it. I also see pixels on my brother's iPhone 3GS, and we never really bothered to take all this into detail.

The processor is really snappy. I was convinced by the iPad's A4 performance, and on the iPhone, it worked nearly as well as the iPad.

Don't get me wrong. They're both iOS devices, with nearly the same specs (except for resolution and.. obviously, screen size), but the iPhone 4 tends to lag a bit in between of applications.

Maybe because it is a smart phone. Or it's because of iOS 4.1. You never know. Eventually, the Apple iOS developer team is going to scout around for blogs like these that provides an indirect feedback, and have an update on "performance improvement", so that issue should be eliminated soon.

I just found out that the camera is smart. But what would make it smarter is that instead of giving it HDR and the ability to switch the flash on or off, is the ability to choose the ISO setting and allow the camera to adapt to the settings depending on the shot being taken. I flipped open my ACDSee (after months of not uploading pictures through my laptop - all were uploaded directly via my iPhone), I noticed that the iPhone has ISO settings of 80, 500 and 1000.

And the shots at 1000 ISO does not look that bad at all, actually.

The HD Video Recording feature is acceptable. At 720p, I definitely won't complain much. There is a link that I posted on YouTube in giving one of its app, iMovie, a shot. A short compilation of my Takara Masterpiece MP-01B .. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IvMzDsKoAc

But that's all I used it for, anyway.

The front camera.. works. No comments on it. It's a VGA, so what else can I say?

FaceTime, Apple's very own monopolising (what else is new) video-calling for iOS devices (now, the iPod Touch has it as well), and FaceTime Beta is out for Macs. This works in two ways; either you FaceTime with an iPhone-based number, or from an iTunes account to another iTunes account, where the iTunes account is under your email address. Smart.

One good thing is that FaceTime is free.

One bad thing is that FaceTime works only over Wi-Fi. I'd give Apple 5 years for them to allow FaceTime to be done over 3G (Like how long it took them to approve viewing Flash over Macs).

I think I've mentioned this before, but although they made it slimmer, it feels like that the battery took a diet as well. They stuffed in a bigger battery, only to catch up with the amount of pixels and colours being generated over a 3.5 inch screen.

I find that an engineering genius, really. It could have been worse; like they would have not bothered to show up with a better battery solution. Or not do anything at all.

But battery is the main issue with all of these smartphones, anyway. My housemate's running on some Android-based OS. It was a Samsung Omnia or something like that, and it doesn't last long either.

But the display on Android devices are pretty good actually.

And they don't have a 960*640 resolution either.

Sound quality on calls on the iPhone 4 is clear, and good. I am running on three phones at the moment; my Nokia 6151, Nokia E71 and this iPhone 4. Obviously, it is not fair to compare and contrast these phones as they're from different leagues, but the iPhone really does provide an odd experience.

Now, some people will mention that Apple is dumb for introducing a 2nd microphone on top of the phone, right beside the headset jack.

But for people like us who are involved in sound engineering, that is a very very smart idea. The 2nd mic is placed on top of the phone, the opposite direction of our mouth, so it picks up anything - like noise, and filters it out, to allow the caller to hear us better.

And the stainless steel band. The genius of the antenna, and the beginning to a neverending criticism of the well known antennagate, or death grip, or whatever they would call it.

I never had issues with calls being dropped so far. But my Nokia 6151 is on roaming, and it's under Telstra. My Nokia E71 is under Optus, and same goes for my iPhone 4.

When I head into my kitchen, my Nokia 6151 gets maximum signal, the Nokia E71 varies from 2 - full somtimes. And the iPhone only stays as.. 1 and below.

I'm not sure if it's a false reading, or just a bad reception from the iPhone 4. My guess is that it produces less frequencies to send and receive. Another issue is the stainless steel band itself.

Doesn't steel act as one of those conductors for frequencies, anyway?

Overall, I won't complain much about the iPhone 4. It works perfectly the way it is. And sometimes it works better whenever I shut my iPhone off. Maybe because I get distracted less by it.

That's about it. Nothing much about the iPhone 4. Now, I'll go continue reading rumours about the iPhone 5.

Post-Exam Period.

2010-10-30T18:37:00.008+08:00

Here comes the long-awaited summer break for degree students in Australia.

I was always envious of having a 3-month break thing going on, and I finally had the chance to really experience it!

And boy, it feels weird on the first day of the long-awaited freedom. I actually tried to find ways to bore myself when I don't have work, and I needed a break from.. work.

It's just crazy to be stressed out by the amount of stuff we have to do.. So, yeah.

Anyways, besides work, toys, uni (what's left of it), and more.. collectibles, here's something you should be aware of before I officially declare myself bankrupt.

That was the most recent order update I got from amiami, and boy, this isn't the updated list yet. This shows 7 figures; four from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and 3 more from Halo: Reach.

.. Until I decided to get all available figures that's released by Play Arts (Kai) from Square Enix. So I've got an updated list of 9 figures coming in this year, and 3 more coming in next year by Halo: Reach.

All shipped by EMS, so it's going to cost quite.. a bit.

*Heart aches.*

Don't ask me when I became a collector, or am I patronising Square Enix's division in making PVC collectibles. You should see the other available figures; they look like crap.

And here's my latest addition after my Takara Masterpiece MP-08: Grimlock.. A limited edition Halo 3 San Diego Comic Con.. thing!

Besides it being limited edition, the shipping for this thing costs 2x more than it how much the figure costed. One interesting bit about this is that the left hand is detachable, and is supported by a magnet for it to clip onto the body. Also, it weighs at about 2kg.

And yes, I'm using it as a paperweight to my Virgil Donati drum clinic ticket for this coming 2nd December 2011!

I just cleared up my table and it looks great. Less messier than it's supposed to be, but because of my odd netbook setup (with the wireless keyboard and mouse combo, and a fuckload of USB cables), it looks like.. shit.

Nevertheless, my figures (and upcoming ones), should have a reasonable amount of space to hang about.

So, I was off today, and I was dropping by my other work place to pass my supervisor a HDD I got for his WD Digital TV box thingamawig, and I just had to stop for this:

A xylophone arranger's wet dreams. This whole team of kids were led by one man with a classical guitar. And what he was doing is to rhythmically play in the key of Am, and ..

.. Well, the kids did the rest of the melody runs.

It was pretty interesting, and there were quite a bit of supporters. These are just the audience from the field area. .from miles away, you'll be able to see them listening and enjoying what this guy did.

It was an interesthing thing. A guitar, and a shitload of xylophones..

And.. I actually felt calm while listening to all this..

Also, two days ago, I see what's the difference between a practice amp (regardless of its power and size) against a proper cabinet with a preamp head. I tried an Orange Dual Terror with an Orange cabinet .. 4x12 cabinet..

And my word.. It sounded so .. warm. The preamp was bloody amazing. And because of it being a high-end Orange preamp, it's a tube preamp. I know they provide better tone, but they also require a shitload of maintenance as well..

And .. I don't think I'm financially stable to maintain all that; nor do I have a clue if I'm staying here in Tasmania .. long term!

Oh boy.

I have to admit that I've been having the worst of days for the past couple of weeks.. Hopefully all will pick up well; if not, I'd be moping over my stupid finals results.

Oh well! That's about it.

Just wanted to clear up some random updates.

Oh. Yes, I do not feel guilty while playing the guitar on my free time now.

:)

(Hopefully I'm able to find more time to play more guitar without annoying anybody in the house..which is far from possible..)

I Just Had To..

2010-10-28T14:51:00.001+08:00

I know December is when Santa Claus comes.

This year, he's coming earlier.

But too bad, he's not fat and red.

He looks more like Virgil Donati.

I will see if he's any good like Virgil Donati. And take a couple of pictures too.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Losing Faith.

2010-10-25T19:02:00.001+08:00

I've always been negative, constantly depressed, and now, I feel like absolute shit.

There is no other method or words that can describe what I really feel these days when it comes to life.

Face it, even I'm beginning to piss myself off on the guitar, my studies suck like hell, and I'm not even good at work.

I don't know where my standards are at.

And if any one of you are even idolizing, or feeling that this post is completely wrong, you need to change your mindset.

I had enough of myself.

I cant face my finals in this condition. It's just bloody wrong.

Bah!

Finally.

2010-10-23T06:37:00.001+08:00

Last semester of the year is about to end.

And surprisingly, I am extremely calm. I'm not afraid of whatever it is that the finals will toss to me. But one things for sure.

I need to pass with at least 25-27% to know that I'm in the safe zone in passing this whole unit. My internal for this subject would be 26.08%

Wooboy.

This is going to be nice.

Especially when I am still under probation, I hope everything goes well, and lift off the probation period.

I need to set my next semester's subjects as well, come to think of it. LOL.

Oh..Yeah.

2010-10-21T21:42:00.001+08:00

And that's the reason why I study better. I've got more space, my guitar pedals are right below me, and my figures have more than enough space. Gotta clear up my table a bit more though.. So I can have my planned World War theme that should be done by the end of November 2010.. :)

Again, With The Updates.

2010-10-21T21:30:00.002+08:00

Here's my schedule for these few days:

22th Oct - Work at the newsagent.. 7am - 12pm-ish.
23th Oct - Financial Management finals - from 1pm - 4pm
24th Oct - Work at the fresh fruit market.. 10am - 3pm
25th Oct - Work at both the newsagent and the fresh fruit market - 7am - 11am shift, 12pm - 7 or 8pm shift, followed by preparations for studies in Commercial Transactions.
26th Oct - Work at the newsagent.. 7am until unknown, then followed by preparations for Commercial Transactions
27th Oct - Offday from the fresh fruit market, but Commercial Transaction finals, followed by Principles of Finance preparations.
28th Oct - Work at the newsagent from 7am until unknown, then followed by preparations for Principles of Finance.
29th Oct - Principles of Finance finals.
30th Oct - Plans unconfirmed
31st Oct - 10am - 3pm shift .. and rock my balls off with the guitar until next February.

Now that I wrote all that out, I think I should lay off the idea of working and studying at the same time.

Then again, not.

I'll be able to do this.

I believe in myself.

Besides that, I had a straight 2-day birthday celebration. I had work yesterday, then I treated my brother and my housemates and a friend to dinner out of sheer randomness. Then followed by lunch today .. where my housemates bought lunch for me.. And this friend of mine.. bought a $50 iTunes Gift Card as a present, and then my other housemates bought a cake and dinner for me, so that's cool.

But the iTunes Gift Card was the worst present I ever thought to give to someone else. And this time, I was being offered the ..present.

I mean. $50 on the iTunes Store. What the hell is there to buy?? We can always torrent and download whatever junk we're interested in.. Until..

.. I remembered that Victor Wooten's album - Soul Circus and Yin Yang was not available for purchase in JB Hi-Fi or torrents.

So I got the two rarest album for myself. And months back, I remember updating my status saying that if anybody wanted to get me a birthday present - that would be those two albums.

.. I guess I should really be careful for what I wish for, eh?

I haven't gotten the time to review those albums yet, but from the previews, it's different - and definitely better than Palmystery.

I am looking forward to my break.

And I am looking forward to go back to Malaysia as well. That should be my long-awaited vacation.. Boy, am I stressed out.. bah..!

Birthday 2010

2010-10-20T19:40:00.001+08:00

Only 4 people celebrated with me, a 100++ people posted on my wall, and a few texts got through to me.

Thank you for making this a very unique birthday experience, although it felt like another day for me as I had work, dinner and now I'm going to study.

I appreciate everything that all of you did, and more to come. The comments and posts were fabulous!

Thank you all!

I will update again whenever I have the time. My first paper is on this coming Saturday, so if you haven't wished me yet, just wish me luck and that's just good enough!

.. And Another One.

2010-10-18T19:28:00.002+08:00

This is what I got for my birthday, originally:

Just simple decorations of the guitars that I'd never own in my life .. Because they're either limited edition, or just bloody rare. The one on the left, the rose pedal Ibanez JEM, would that the designs were printed off from Steve Vai's parent's curtains from their home (!!!), and his triple neck guitar. Just that I didn't like the idea that they added frets to the neck on the far right. IT's supposed to be a fretless guitar, but whatever! Decoration purposes! A good icon to celebrate my 22nd birthday!

Then, my recent eBay fever (again). Scoped around for random figures, and saw this one on.. 'sale'. It's a buy-one-free-one sort of a deal. I've got the Walmart Masterpiece Skywarp, but I couldn't be bothered with opening it.

This, is MP-08. Takara Masterpiece - Grimlock.

OH yeah. <3

I was a bit lazy to take more pictures, so this will have to do.

I know I'm damn happy, and I need a bigger table.

Musclebrain.

2010-10-15T04:14:00.001+08:00

Ever felt like you are somewhat awake, but you refuse to learn anything new?

You know you can go on physically, but mentally, you perform worse than a chimpanzee.

What have I done to deserve this?

I hate being optimistic.

Well, that's enough of complaints. Go into war with my final quiz. Then exactly one week to go through 12 weeks of shit, then finals.

Woopee-fucking-do.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Meandering Thoughts.

2010-10-10T04:40:00.001+08:00

I don't know why I put in so much effort into the things and the people around me.

I don't really feel appreciated in return sometimes. That's the sad bit.

The saddest bit is that I've been always feeling this way since forever.

The only cure is for me to stop everything and retreat to my guitar.

Sure, the guitar isn't the best form of "emotional" or "social" return investments, but it's the only thing that keeps me happy and understand others better.

But yeah.

I'm back to my old working schedule like in KL. No off days, work and studies back to back.

It's not like I never got used to it anyway.

This gets me about $600 per week average (which is my current working schedule), and hopefully.. This does not screw up my education.

More to like, I don't really give a shit no more.

I'm a bit outdated

2010-10-08T10:11:00.001+08:00

Shots taken with the iPhone 4. I like!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Quickie.

2010-10-08T04:01:00.001+08:00

I'm going to make this a quick one as I'm blogging from my phone.

Just minor updates because I haven't updated my blog for quite a bit. But I think I'll be just fine:

I am currently juggling 2 jobs, along with my main "occupation" (as they would call it here in Australia), a Full-Time student. At least that's recognized.

Benefits of juggling 2 jobs - increase in pay. I have been working in an underpaying job and it doesn't really get me much, but I've made it through somehow.

Outcome: earning nearly $700 per week (shyly at $692 actually).

Now with this one, I'm actually able to get Christmas presents for my family. Only if I want to. I know I've already thought of my brother's gift. Heh.

Besides that, perhaps another iPhone.

Now I just spoke to one of my mates in an unknown retailer and I'm able to get a 15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz 250GB HDD (which is not even in the list) for $1600-1700. Which is about $500 cheaper. I compared it against Malaysia at an exchange rate of 3.06, and I only managed to see it as MYR200 difference here.

Since it's easier, I might just get the MacBook first. Or not. Save up straight for the iMac.

Dilemma and decisions

Also planning to get a car here for convenience. Not entirely my idea, but better to be safe than sorry.

.. Or not at all. Depends

Well, that's about it. Besides that, I also came up with an idea for my daily routine. Sleep at 6-8pm, get up at 3am, slack off and do whatever required preparations for uni before work (if I have work)

That is most probably going to be my upcoming schedule during the study break in 2 weeks time.

Please don't think of me having 2 jobs is insane. No sympathies. I really hate it when people do that. This isn't compulsory, but this is my own decision.

Besides, Mike Portnoy once worked 3 jobs to finance his dreams.

I should too.

It's been way too long.

2010-10-01T11:03:00.001+08:00

This is my first time being sick nearly all week long in Australia. And I thought I was getting better. Bloody BS-ing myself.

Well, hopefully today's going to turn out well.

Hopefully.

I Feel Like..

2010-09-17T05:29:00.001+08:00

.. Shit.

Period.

Floating Thoughts.

2010-09-16T21:27:00.001+08:00

Standing by the beach,
Waiting for the sun,
Waiting for another day,
Waiting for another love.

Closing my eyes,
Thinking of you,
I'm sent to another universe,
Far away from this.

Audible thoughts,
Inaudible words.
Certified facts,
Random feelings.

As I breathe,
My lungs are filled with air,
Rather have them filled,
Filled with your scent.

Crazy thoughts,
Crazy words.
Tears of sadness,
Tears of truth.

I open my eyes,
I find my feet in the sand,
I see footsteps to the sea,
I see a fair maiden in the waves.

I dragged myself up,
I got closer to the uncertainty.
But this uncertainty feels right,
So maybe, I should go even closer.

Holding you, holding me.
Why are our tears flowing?
I don't feel sad,
But happy?

Maybe tears aren't that bad at all.
These are tears of joy.
The long search for someone was simple,
There's a technique to it:

"Trust, honesty,
Understanding, patience.
Love, truth,
Soul, emotions."

8 elements combined,
The rest is effort.
Two hearts,
One love.

我的心是一中的礼物，送给你。
我知道我的人不十全十美。（象我的华语~真的很差）
但是，我只是能送你我的心，
给你保护，给你爱。
给你收，给你赏识。

因为•••我相信，
你不会伤害我的心。

（对不起，我知道我的华语很差，
我希望你懂我写什么。
为了你，我真的想想要进步。
我知道你不管我人的样子好或坏，
为了这个意识，我不要伤害到你的心。
我爱你，
我的老婆。）

I admit I am not perfect, and I will never be.

iDevil?

2010-09-16T20:32:00.001+08:00

I was doing my studies a minute ago on my iPad, and I wanted to post this up for quite a bit already.

A few days ago trying to figure out the mysteries of my assignment, I got really tired. I sat on my bed, wanting to take my afternoon nap, and then like usual, I couldn't sleep.

I picked up my books, again and I could focus even better. I felt relaxed more with my phones, netbook and the iPad on the table that I call my workstation.

I could absorb information better rather than staring into a "backlit-LCD" screen with my notes on it.

I mean, it is the exact same issue with you reading books, and reading eBooks, if anybody ever experienced or encountered any problems like that?

I tend to lose focus over the times where I'm closer to technology.

Is that kind of odd?

I remember reading one article about one person giving up the cyberspace and it improved his memory.

Besides his memory, he also had boredom.

Boredom is the most important emotion to actually feel to get inspirations. He was one of the few people who bought an iPad, and then he sold it off because it took up too much of his time where he prefers to be bored.

Which is pretty interesting really. I sat down, like what normal families would do before the introduction of the iPhone, the iPad, and other smartphone-related devices. If you switch off notifications, you'll end up refreshing your applications to figure out if there's anything new or whatsoever.

Just so happens, I was too lazy to reach out for my i-Products, and I was happy with it. I focused way better, and I felt better studying - with a book.

This is a pretty interesting thought for myself, and I'm not sure if you all experienced it.

I know when I go online, most of my time is wasted no thanks to Facebook. Because of Facebook, I don't play as much guitar as I used to. And when I play guitar, I play it better when my girlfriend is not online, or when she's busy, and with my netbook shut.

Boredom kills some people, like my 4 other housemates downstairs, but I think it's a divine source of major inspirations.

Although the idea of Apple products being highly promoted here, that is clearly the wrong message to send out. It's only because I own these things. If It was years back, I'd blame it on my PS2 and the home computer.

Give me my boredom so I can study right. No wonder I haven't touched my iPad for a bit. It's an odd sign.

Seriously, That's Being Idiotic.

2010-09-14T12:55:00.001+08:00

I just met an idiot today. He came into our tutorial, and I suspected something was Rongelap with this chap - he had no idea of what he was doing, or what was being taught, but he had the answers.

Not answers of his own, but answers from a different semester.

And bloody hell, he nearly got all of us into trouble.

Seriously, the reason why we pay to be tutored or lectured is because for us to learn - even if we failed, we learn from our failure.

I mean, anybody could've cheated and passed whatever they had in mind, but the shittiest thing to bring the solution key to the respective tutorial.

Sure, thats your efforts right there. But don't you even feel ashamed that the rest of the class worked their asses off asking all sorts questions, getting all sorts of wrong answers and getting everything out right in the end of the day?

I mean, if that were to be effort, try this.

Grab your dad's credit card, go to the education department, and do your payment in how much you can get a Degree for. That's sheer effort rig there, and you'll stay dumb for the rest of your life by doing so.

Seriously, I can't tolerate these sort of parasites. I you have the answer or something, thats cool. But don't you think that if you use the answers, it is better to use the answers as a reference to support you attempts, instead of making your attempt?

Seriously, I'd fuck you upside down if you were to be in the same group as me. Or get you expelled if you were under me. Like seriously.

Ahhhh...

2010-09-09T17:32:00.001+08:00

Welcome to the family. I've been expecting you.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sad News.

2010-09-09T08:43:00.001+08:00

I was happily procrastinating until I read something disturbing in Facebook.

Mike Portnoy, the backbone of Dream Theater, left the band because he needed a break.

Of course the stunning news early this year was that he was drumming for Avenged Sevenfold due to a personal request of their late drummer.

That's fine, but Portnoy found out that he had more fun in the other projects - and found out that DT was work to him.

I clearly understood that, but I'm truly shaken by his decision - and the decision of the band to continue on without him.

Sure Portnoy, not the best drummer in the world as others are catching up, but for those who CAN play DT's songs smoothly, were obviously inspired by Mike Portnoy.

So, Mike, have a good rest.

I wish to see you back in action as your life story motivates me to carry out my Quest for Tone.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

This is Nice.

2010-09-08T00:10:00.002+08:00

There she is, having her fun with her friends, and having a different timezone just to see her for a short while.

Sounds familar, though.

I wonder if I'm the idiot doing something like that?

I am an idiot, only if I believe it.

Well, that doesn't matter anyway.

I came home from uni today, sat down and played the guitar. I actually slept while playing the guitar, so I decided to get some rest.

And I woke up at 6.45, plugged my guitar in without checking Facebook or playing around with Nemesis Prime.

And it's 2.14am as I'm writing this, and I've got the guitar with me still.

Even if I were to be alone, and that would suck. But that's alright..

"I still got my guitar!"

Testing

2010-09-05T09:09:00.001+08:00

Seriously, did they fix the issue with blogging from an iPhone after inserting pictures?

Since I already had this on the iPad, I hooked my iPhone up as well. It's one of those universal apps that you can share among devices, so that's pretty cool.

Now, updates? Another "toy".

Takara Masterpiece (MP-01B) - Optimus Prime - Black Convoy .. Also known as Nemesis Prime.

There're two more figures coming in by this year - the Japanese mascot that replaced Mickey Mouse - Chokogin Fireball (which is smaller than my preferred height, but she is bloody flexible, comes in with plenty of hand gestures, and other misc stuff.) and the Jungle Fatigue version of Big Boss from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. That would be coming out by the end of the year, so I'm looking forward to that one.

So far this app works for the iPhone smoothly after the update being installed. I'm satisfied, although it does lag a bit (on the iPhone 4. Imagine 3GS lol)

And other than that, I've got nothing to update. Heh.

Till then, mates.

Edit: I just realized that I have already posted up pictures of this Prime. Oh well. At least the app works. I'm doing this through my iPad now LOL.

Pouring It Out.

2010-09-04T20:11:00.002+08:00

Sometimes when I really think about it, is it really worth it to put in whatever efforts we have into something we don't really have confidence in?

In life, in work, in efforts, in hobbies, in studies, and in family?

It's great if you get something in return once in a while. The only thing that keeps me happy is when I get money.

Simple. Money in, money out.

When money out = more stuff in the mail arrives for me.

That's not how things should be, but at least I have the opportunity to grasp on the things that I only thought that I was able to view online.

On another note, I'm not sure if it's jealousy or whatever it is, but I love to share whatever I've got with those who view me on Facebook. And sometimes, I'm just guessing that they don't like the idea.

I mean, I'm just updating myself? And whatever I have is just pretty common to those around here. And that doesn't mean that you have to end up hating or flaming me because of the stuff that I own? That's just odd??

Why hate something that you can own? All you need to do is just to fork out your cash. If you can't, then work for it?

Others would say, "If you can't fork out your cash, then stop complaining"

I saved up since I started working, which was April. Before then, I was really tied down on my expenses.

And I admit that my job isn't the best in the world. I feel dumb in the current job I'm in, so shut up already.

Okay, the iPad and the iPhone were a tad bit overkill, but I saved up for those two shitheads. And I bet that my bank account shows less digits than your children's. So ????

And sometimes when you show some people that you really care, you just get a fine kick in the nose. Right back at you, so that doesn't make sense either.

Maybe I should stop degrading myself and should start finding myself, again.

Because, seriously, I think I've had it.

Thoughts

2010-09-04T16:31:00.003+08:00

The smiles, the kisses,
The time spent is priceless.
The thought of losing you,
Would make me lifeless.

The happiness you bring,
Through the things we've been,
Makes life worth living,
And it gets me start thinking.

What would I do,
If I was never with you?
And what would you do,
If you did the same too?

The tears cried, the pain subside,
Only because of you being by my side,
Even if you're not here,
I believe that you will be.

Oh, how do you make me happy?
And how do you make me cry?
How do you know what to say?
How did you make me love you everyday?

Life goes on, even when we hate it,
With you, with me, we'll just have to make it through.
Supporting you, supporting me,
We'll know what to do.

Lovin' you, lovin' me,
Lovin' the guitar notes being played,
Appreciatin' you, appreciatin me,
Let's just lay by the beach, under the bright blue sky.

Ah.

2010-09-01T19:17:00.003+08:00

My brother always told me that the toy quality nowadays really suck.

After I got the follow below, I agree.

25% plastic, 75% metal casted.

You tell me? :)

Other Half.

2010-08-31T15:20:00.003+08:00

It's simple,
It's confusing,
It's painful,
It's a blessing.

There is a reason why people call their partners - their other half.
I didn't believe it, because it sounds stupid.
It's cliche.
But I'm the fool.

Probably the biggest fool in the world,
For not understanding something simple.
Always complicating things,
Always trying to understand.

I take one step at a time,
And I made it through.
And as many steps I can take,
One day, I'd fall.

But that's what the other half is for.
They listen to us when we're in need.
It's like God answering our prayers,
Only in person.

Like the long road I had to walk,
You came with a car.
Why didn't I think of that?
Because I never had my other half.

Let's dance under the moonlight,
With the sand in between our toes.
Swaying with the tempo of the waves,
Sweet, innocent love - on the beach.

Even though that I was alright without you,
But I had no heart.
I knew no pain, no love, no emotions,
I only knew life.

I spoke to life,
And life gave you to me.
I forgot how was it like to look someone in the eye,
I forgot that I was just human.

So, what's this rubbish about the other half?
Cliche? Cheesey?
I'm not me,
When I ain't got her.

And when I ain't got her,
Nobody's gettin' me.
I'm only half a human,
But she makes me one.

She's the other half.
The other half of me.
Her love is simple, but tough.
...

And my heart and love belongs to Rainnie Chee.

You Know It When..

2010-08-31T07:26:00.001+08:00

When it's one of those days, an you know things are going to be wrong, but you still tell yourself, "nahhh. That's never going to happen" and all that

Like, seriously.

I have to stop thinking so bloody much and get my priorities all sorted out again!

What the hell is wrong with me?!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2010-08-28T21:53:00.000+08:00

Cold
Lying in my bed
Staring into darkness

Lost
I hear footsteps overhead
And my thoughts return
Again

Like a child who's run away
And won't be coming back
Time keeps passing by
As night turns into day

I'm so far away
And so alone
I need to see your face
To keep me sane
To make me whole

Try to stay alive
Until I hear your voice
I'm gonna lose my mind
Someone tell me why
I chose this life
This superficial lie
Constant compromise
Endless sacrifice

Pain
It saddens me to know
The helplessness you feel
Your light
Shines on my soul
While a thousand candles
Burn

Outside this barren room
The rain is pouring down
The emptiness inside
Is growing deeper still

You're so far away
And so alone
You long for love's embrace
To keep you sane
To make you whole

Try to stay alive
Until I hear your voice
I'm gonna lose my mind

Someone tell me why
I chose this life
This superficial lie
Constant compromise
Endless sacrifice

Moments wasted
Isolated
Time escaping
Endless sacrifice

Moments wasted
Isolated
Time escaping
Endless sacrifice

Over the distance
We try to make sense
Of surviving together
While living apart

Striving for balance
We rise to the challenge
Of staying connected
In spite of circumstance

All you've forsaken
And all that you've done
So that I could live out
This undying dream

Won't be forgotten
Or taken for granted
I'll always remember
Your endless sacrifice

Moments wasted
Isolated
Time escaping
Endless sacrifice

Moments wasted
Isolated
Time escaping
Endless sacrifice

The Quest for Tone VII.

2010-08-27T21:54:00.003+08:00

Okay. So I went a bit overboard and blew about $100 more than I expected, even after the purchase of my upcoming figure(s) and game(s).

I wanted to get a pair of studio monitors, ranging from a 30 - 70 watt that works for mixing purposes, but the cheapest one that suits my taste and likings costs a hefty $500.

That is the standard price that people have to pay for tone. So I decided to take up an old friend's advice - Freddie Kam.

"You don't need studio monitors if you're under budget. Just save up for a good pair of headphones and you'll be working in no time. Plus studio monitors - good ones - would cost quite a lot."

He was right. Because the $500 ones I was looking at were the base models.

Hence, I went off to djwarehouse.com.au, and searched for the headphones that I saw in JB Hi-Fi, and they were about $50 cheaper - comes inclusive with postage.

And they came pretty quick. I was not around to pick it up, and like every other Apple products that I missed out, I had to go to the TNT Depot and pick it up (which I completely do not mind driving for).

And here we goooo.. !

I'm a sucker for in-ear headphones because it isolates noise from the outside. I just found out that my Nokia E71, (which I got on the same day as my iPhone as well) rings pretty loudly.

But when I put these babies on, I didn't even bloody hear my phones ringing. All of them. And some people know that my ringtones are pretty darn annoying.

So, it's a Sennheiser. To me, I think this is probably one of the best value for money-based headphones. Only at $140, and it delivers pretty crisp tone for monitoring purposes. It's a studio-based headphone, so you don't expect much from the low frequencies. BUT, it DOES pick up bass frequencies, it's just that it doesn't pick up as much as what you get from subwoofers.

But that's the main point that everybody gets wrong. Tone isn't all about screeching guitars or heavy thumping bass. It really depends where you're at. And for studios, I think you're better off with a biased-free tone setting.

The frequency response graph for this headphones is definitely > 0dB .. It doesn't even touch the negative side of the dB, so that explains why you are not able to get any power bass responses.

But to shut you from whining, I could hear Victor Wooten scratching and stopping his strings with his index finger in "The Lesson".

I nearly cried.

This baby is bloody beautiful.

And all the pictures above are taken with the iPhone 4's camera! Not bad with lots of lights around, and the front camera runs on a VGA resolution, but it looks better than my 6151 - which is a bloody ass old school 1.3mp camera. lol.

My God, the pictures are clear. lol

iPhone 4

2010-08-24T18:23:00.001+08:00

The hype's over.

I received it this morning during work, and I'm still in the process of getting it up and read for the next step; Which is to switch to a postpaid line.

At the rate that I am using this phone, I think it's not worth it to stick with my current prepaid plan and go with postpaid anyway.

Will see how things go.

Plus better benefits lies in the iPhone BYO plans.

I'll probably write a review about it when I use it for a couple of days. Haven't really tried out the battery yet (obviously)

The Quest for Tone VI.

2010-08-23T18:39:00.002+08:00

I went down to McCann's Music Centre again. This is where I am doing the deals for my upcoming the guitar, if you don't know already, and alongside with supported pedals.

I texted the dealer, and he sent me an email (which I was unable to access because I was at work), and he stated that my Jim Dunlop BG-95 had already arrived.

I didn't really bother, but things are quickly falling into place.

And I really didn't bother. But when he took the pedal out of the box and showed it to me, we were both in awe. Along with the other kids around in the music store. We were amazed at the design. It's strong metal casted, rubber grip for the shoes' soles, and Buddy Guy's signature polka dots.

And yes, the rest of the store were going, "What the hell? A pedal with polka dots?"

It is dead weird, I have to admit. But I don't think I've seen anybody with this pedal.

All being picked up next week. This is going to be my first fully-analogue setup after 8 years.

This is like a dream come true.

The Quest for Tone V.

2010-08-21T15:59:00.002+08:00

I never had a plastic card to swipe over counters, but apparently, even kids have those cards here in Australia.

They're not credit cards, but full-fledged debit cards that can be used internationally (hence, my eBay spree) compared to Malaysia.

And even if I had a debit card in Malaysia, I wouldn't have enough money to even purchase anything.

Anyway, as a musician, I just got discovered here in Hobart, Tasmania! All I did was played the guitar several times until I managed to get Fly Me To The Moon by Paul Gilbert right, and my housemates received a mail. On a Saturday (where postal services are usually closed), sent to "The Guitarist" in my house.

Isn't that awesome?

I opened it up, and read that it was a letter stating that my neighbour does not mind me playing the guitar in the day, but it is fairly unreasonable to play the guitar at 3am in the morning.

I have got to love and hate acoustic guitars.

Hence, I decided to get something - which I've been considering due to the fact that studio monitors are not cheap. The M-Audio Studiophile AV30, I just found out, are multimedia speakers.

In other words, a branded Altec Lansing, without the big ass subwoofers.

Although at $135, I am still considering to get one of those babies - until I saw these.

Click!

Mm-hmm.

Proper headphones for proper music listening pleasure.

Plus these are really comfortable to wear, and to record with.

.. Or play the Strat for a couple of hours. Or days. Or weeks. Or months.