A Day In The Life Of An Oblivious Ape.: January 2009

Pics are up for Bloco Singapura's stint at this years Chingay Parade 2009 - Chingay Wonderland.

Stupid G900 camera. I miss Cybershot. =(

Okay so yesterday was interesting, to say the least.

Got to City Hall to catch Bloco play, but as I found out the road towards the Padang from Funan there was blocked. So I had to walk one big round around the Supreme Court, passing through some overly-enthusiastic Chingay motivators, only to find out that I could only stop short of the left side of the Grandstand - Bloco was performing right in the middle!

Boy, was I pissed. So I went one whole round around the Padang to the right side of the Grandstand, only to experience the same thing. I thought their performance in front of the Grandstand was THE performance, and I pretty much missed it. But then I found out the parade hadn't started, so I rushed all the way back round the Padang to the left side 'cos the Parade was facing that direction.

I was right. Damn, I had to scream myself hoarse to get their attention, and boy, were they surprised to see me there! As such, I became the not-so-official photographer, following them on their journey towards the flyer.

As they paraded along the Padang towards the Esplanade, the barriers made it impossible for an audience member to follow the parade, unless one could actually get past the barriers.

And that was EXACTLY what I did. Turns out there was a missing link in the barrier chain further back up the junction. So I coolly walked into the parade road and rushed to meet the whole gang in person! It was a rush. Yes, yes it was. =D

So I continued along the parade, this time being in the parade itself! Cool stuff. It was a long walk to the Flyer, but I didn't really notice the strain on my legs until the parade actually ended. I really applaud you guys for having the stamina to play Samba continously for god-knows how many kilometers.

Oh, and if you couldn't catch them perform yesterday, they'll be doing so again TODAY. So get your butts down there and watch 'em.

Argggh project deadlines are edging ever closer.

Dreamweaver is being more of a hassle than it should be.

In the meantime, here's a lil' vid we cooked up to put in our zombie film/trailer website thingy as part of the video / green screen filming component of the project.

If you're a fan of zombie flicks, you should be able to tell where we got our inspirations from.

Enjoy. =D

(Oh, and if you do spot a fellow in striped polo tee in the video, that would be me.)

Ahh, nothing beats coming home from a busy day out to a bowl of mum's delicious Sop Ikan Kurau.

My favourite. =)

Today, I just realised, for the first time in my entire existence, how therapeutic shopping at IKEA can be.

Seriously.

You should try it at least once, like by yourself.

Or with a friend, at the very least. A partner, if you will.

There's lots of colours...

And fluff...

And cow-hides that smell like strawberries...

Strawberries, Charlie...

Yeah, Charlie. Strawberries...

At Candy Mountain, Charlie! We need to get the Almighty Strawberry Jujubes from the Candy Mountain Candy Peak, Charlie!

Yeah, Charlie! The very existence of the world depends on it!

Pfbbt.

Straight after watching this movie, I felt compelled to write a review about it.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Now, straight off the bat, the movie has the looks of Juno; although if that has anything to do with the fact that both movies have the same actor playing the lead male role remains a mystery to me. I personally love how the titles are produced in hand-drawn styles; it really brings through the whole indie feel of the movie, but that's just my music-scene-noob side talking.

Wokay, so Michael Cera plays the aspiring musician Nick O' Leary playing for the queercore band The Jerk-Offs - yeah, queercore... as in, gay. I know, I just got that too! Alexis Dziena plays your typical two-timing ex Tris, whom Nick stills holds a candle for, apparently. Why he would, however, is beyond me. Norah is played by Kat Dennings, who, incidentally, is playing Marla, Trish's daughter on The 40-Year-Old Virgin showing on Channel 5 right now!

Nick and Norah's passion for both music and each other in the movie feels genuine, and even if they were faking it, I couldn't tell. And you know what, if any of you guys think this is a chick flick, it SO isn't. Those 'awww' moments are really gonna reach out and tug at any of those testosterone-laced heartstrings you have. Like the scene where Norah mentions to Nick that she's been secretly listening to his mixtapes that Tris has been throwing in the trash, or the scene where they both ditch the Where's Fluffy gig together after being confronted by their ex-es. (Is that how you spell it?)

Speaking of Where's Fluffy, the constant theme of trying to catch the gig of one of the most publicity-shy indie bands in New York actually works for this movie. It's what ties the plot together and it's what ties both Nick and Norah together. I mean, the characters actually have so much praise for this band that it makes me wanna listen to at least a sample of what Where's Fluffy sounds like. Oh, and the inclusion of gay band members Thom and Dev are a nice touch to the picture; I kinda think of them as the fairy godmothers in Nick's quest for true love (and maybe closure from Tris).

On a possibly related note, Kat Dennings is HAWT. Like, white-hot. Smoking, white-hot. Whooh. And who knew you could achieve an orgasm while still in your pants? Oh right, I forgot about this video: click here, it's all the rage!.

Awesome shit, this movie. Definitely a must-watch, 'cos I can't really find anything wrong with this movie. It's that good. Well, it's feel-good, but that's beside the point. If it's still in cinemas, GO WATCH IT. And go realise what the infinite playlist is all about.

Sometimes I can't help but wonder what life could have been if my brother were still alive.

Would we be as thick as thieves?

Would we be the coolest kids on the block, though nobody ever really knew who we were?

Could we have been mutual Star Wars fans, squealing at every clone trooper battle?

Could we have been a tag team of passionate gamers, taking a crack at every new console or arcade game that was released?

Or could we have been one of those pairs of siblings who...never really clicked?

Leading separate lives under the same household?

Only exchanging 'hello's and 'goodbye's on an occasional basis?

I guess I could spend an eternity wondering 'what could have been', but I only have one lifetime to think of 'what I have now'. And that's more than enough time any man could ask for.

So, dudes and dudettes.

CHERISH YOUR SIBLINGS.

Be thankful that you actually have them, because life without them can be extremely lonely.

Gosh, why do I do these things to myself? =S

Today was a true testament to how music brings people together.

After our little TPLatinos tussle and general misunderstandings getting cleared in that open talk just now, I was pretty certain we wouldn't have the mood to do anything Roland (our instructor) wanted us to do for today's practice. But I guess we (eventually) let bygones be bygones, and we let the music seep into our souls, without any care for the animosity we might have had towards each other a few moments before.

The power of music, yo.

By the way, those were great pieces we played just now. KEEP UP THE FUCKING GOOD WORK WOOOOO.

Okay I need some sleep now.

The 4 of us tend to get a little loopy after a submission deadline has passed.

Enjoy. LOL.

This.

Lol.

Note to self: Listening to Don and Drew's podcasts at 2 in the morning compromises sanity.

An altogether new experience,
She flits in with a butterfly's presence
And sends shockwaves through.

The soul begs for more,
But not every soul's wants get satisfied.
Although with yearning,
(And not just any yearning
but one that sickens with every passing minute)
The remedy, first thought to be bitter
Becomes almost nectarine in nature.

As I stand on this edge,
The mind reels at the prospect
of both 'Yes' and 'No'.
As the foot loses contact,
A stand is made.
On tiptoe, I now ask,
Will you,
With all your saving graces,
Save me?

Ahh, feels good to flex those poetic muscles after a long hiatus. And I'd gladly do it again, just for you.

I is love my new clone trooper helmet. XD

Got it at half price at Tampines Mall's Toys 'R Us outlet; $39.90 from the usual price of $79.90.

I wonder why they marked the price down so much...

Not that I'm complaining. XD

Uggh, what can I say? It's been a hectic week.

With less than 5 weeks to go before the end of the semester, the major projects are all piling down on me.

We just finished our studio recording for the 1+2 interview multicam assignment, and I guess we did pretty good, considering the hiccups we encountered along the way. The last recording was fucking GREAT! XD

And and and... we had our performance today for the TP Open House event. If any of you came for the open house and went home with an aftertaste of "WTF?" in your mouth, I'll tell you right now that I TOTALLY understand.

So the performance went smoothly as we had rehearsed it; the juniors especially (Good job guys!). That's not to say the seniors didn't fare any better; let's just say some cues were forgotten along the way. =P

After our performance, I tagged along with the fellas for their Chingay rehearsal at People's Association Kallang. I can safely confirm that A WHOLE LOT OF FRICKIN' WORK GOES INTO MAKING THIS ANNUAL PARADE HAPPEN.

Seriously.

I mean, just looking at the costumes, they don't look like were just strapped and taped together in 2 minutes; everything from the shirts, pants, vests, shoes, helmets and hats were intricately sown, like the maker had given each and every one his or her own personal attention. Granted, they looked a little beat up, but looking at the dedication each performance was given, I'd say it was bound to happen.

So anyway, their rehearsal really made me realise what I was going to miss about Bloco; just the fact that we all know each other and that making and playing samba music is our fucking passion. As I sat there in the Crocs store of Plaza Singapura while they were collecting their official yellow crocs, I was asked by no less than 10 people if I had collected mine and why I didn't. And as I watched the rest prepare for their rehearsal, I was asked countless more, including Syed Ahmad, if I had collected the costume and why I wasn't playing.

I guess this is the part where I sigh.

And to my fellas Upbeats, I'm glad I still got you guys.

Side note taken down due to irrelevance at this point in time. LOL