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

I find sometimes (check: MOST of the time) I think too much. But I guess one of the benefits of that is in the process, you get to chance upon a little piece of nostalgia in your life.

A moment.

A distant memory.

In my case, a song.

Here's 'Kau Ilhamku' by Man Bai. (Translated: You're My Inspiration) Today's (and maybe yesterday's) events got me thinking, and the song just came right at me; that little piece of nostalgia smack in my life's windshield.

MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Beribu bintang dilangit
Kini menghilang
Meraba aku dalam kelam
Rembulan mengambang
Kini makin suram
Pudar ilhamku tanpa arah

Sedetik wajahmu muncul
Dalam diam
Ada kerdipan ada sinar
Itukah bintang ataupun rembulan
Terima kasih kuucapkan

Izinkan kumencuri bayangan wajahmu
Izinkan ku mencuri khayalan denganmu
Maafkanlah oh...
Andai lagu ini
Mengganggu ruangan hidupmu
Kau senyumlah oh...
Sekadar memori
Kita di arena ini
Kau ilhamku
Kau ilhamku...

Gets you singing along doesn't it? =)

All that's missing right now...

All that I need to make this moment just right...

...is you.

OMG I SUDDENLY HAVE THE CRAVING FOR SOME LEFT 4 DEAD ACTION.

DAMMIT I NEED TO GET THAT DISC BACK.

GOTTA KILL ME SOME FUCKING INFECTEDDDDDD GRAARGHH@&*!&!(#*!#(!@

Okaydone.

No other lyrics of any song has ever hit home in me more than 'Permanent' by David Cook.

It's like the man's telling my life story through his.

I swear if I hear that song one more time, I think I'm gonna fucking cry.

Word.

Muhd Hakim bin Zainalabidin.

I think I'm starting to miss you, little man.

Al-Fatihah.

"Will you think that you're all alone
When no one's there to hold your hand?
And all you know seems so far away and everything is temporary rest your head
I'm permanent."

Those engines of passion
We rev 'em up.

Hear 'em purr, the sweet surrender
Strong, animalistic, yet somehow tender
In a language so strange in splendor
We got that good vibe goin'.

Hit the stereo, hit it up style
Let the beat run through us strong and wild
In a sound that got us both thinkin' "Wow:
We got that good vibe goin'."

The heat is on, the fire's lit and stoked
We be burnin' now, leavin' the world in smoke
It's a rush; a license no badge can revoke
Hell yeah.
We got that good vibe goin'.

I do believe this is good material for a future song-writing / producing endeavor. Heh.

What?

When your special someone ain't there with you, your blog's kinda like the next best thing.

As a confidante, OF COURSE.

Not that...other thing...

That people do...

When they're together...

Okayimmastopnow.

Congratulations, Hafeez.

You just managed to shoot yourself in the foot. Again. -.-"

I'm treating this thing like a Twitter. LOL. Urgh.

In commemoration of possibly one of the most badass showdowns in American Idol history, I'm putting up the Adam Lambert rendition of 'Mad World' by Tears for Fears up on my playlist which he performed for the finals, simply cos he is TEH BADASS. \m/

It's a good thing he chose that as his first song because it was FREAKIN' AWESOME. I was blown away. Honestly, and absolutely.

And I think I'm starting to take a liking to the beats of Izaak Stern a.ka. ELIAS SOH (DOH!). Got one up on my playlist there too, titled 'A Lesson In Anger Management'.

Give 'em a listen.

EDIT: Okay, I decided to give Adam Lambert a miss. Apparently the players somehow screwing it up, making it all scratchy-sounding and icky. Well, go to Youtube or imeem for your Lambert fix, I guess, 'cos you ain't getting it here.

I feel like such a tool for not getting this post out sooner. You're probably well on your way back home right now.

First of all, I just wanna say that this post is dedicated to a man who, with no shadow of a doubt, has made an impact in my life, both as a person and as a percussionist.

That man, is Safuan Azari Haji Ibrahim.

A spirited character, with a fiery passion for whatever he has a passion for, be it percussion or otherwise. And that passion being put to action is undeniably one of the most memorable and awe-inspiring sights that I was fortunate enough to have experienced.

It's rare for someone to employ such a simple and stress-free approach to life like he does in times like these. But somehow, it worked for him, and that is one mystery of life I feel I might never come to comprehend.

Admirable. Truly admirable.

I regret not being able to bid you farewell personally yesterday. But then again, we all know you won't be gone for long. Iguess if we try hard enough, 3 years will pass by like nothing. I hope that SMS I sent to you got through; it's probably going to be the last one I get to send to you, for a pretty long time. =S

Till then, godspeed, Uan. May your journey bring forth rewards aplenty, and know that we'll be right here, in Singapore, if you need us.

Assalamualaikum.

(P.S. Suzie, just in case, the post I mentioned - it's the one before this. Heh.)

To my beloved Suzaina,

Fuck the language, fuck the flowery phrases.

This time, I'm bringing it to you; the one truth, each and every word. Straight up, Oblivious Ape-style.

I. Love. You.

I may have said it one too many times, or not enough. I can't be sure. But those three words...those three words are three words I could never be more certain about.

I love it when you smile, like when your picture's being taken, or when you see something funny and smiling's the only thing you can do without seeming rude.

I love it when we get close, and that, I believe, should be pretty self-explanatory.

I could go on forever.

Each and every week, I fervently count down the days, in strong and unrelenting anticipation of the moments, the weekends on which we would meet again. Each passing hour, minute, second feels like an eternity ; one of which becomes almost impossible to endure, but delivers a promise of near-limitless emotional rewards.

I understand if reading this scares you a little - hell, it scares me too - but it's like I can't hold it in anymore. It's because of one simple truth: that I honestly have not felt this way about anyone in, like, EVER. Which probably would seem pretty pathetic on my part, but hey, better late than never, huh?

Just being around you gives me a rush like no other video game or percussion arrangement can ever bring. It wouldn't be that far off to say that I am utterly hooked, fixated, and addicted. I don't know if I make it too obvious (this post would probably do it) or if this is normal behaviour (I'm assuming it isn't), but I want you to know that there is not a waking moment in my life that you are not on my mind.

And I am proud, unabashed and unashamed to admit that.

I can't help it; I probably should, but not doing so is a temptation that's far too great to ignore.

I realise I have my moments, and that you have yours too. What moments they are; we'll figure that one out as we go along.

For now, I'm just too fucking glad you came into my life when you did.

'Til next we meet.

Yours truly, in the truest sense of the word,
Hafeez Zainalabidin

Not the best picture, but 'twas the night I got high.
Both on samba, and on you.

This has got to be a new personal record: 15 hours spent of out the house; seeing, hearing, feeling, breathing nothing else but percussion.

Straight up.

So Bloco practice was at 9am this time round, over at oh-so-near Kranji Camp. Didn't expect the weather be so fucking burning like it did, but hey, all in the pursuit of the passion, right?

Right.

We also had to leave early to get ready for Upbeats' gig at Marina Barrage as part of the opening acts for the Singapore Arts Festival. Yes, it's here already. I'm surprised at how much hype (or lack thereof) it got this year. Strange.

So anyway, we were supremely tight in our set. Mistakes were definitely made, but we made an awesome job of covering them up, I think. Kudos to the crowd for being pretty sporting as well. Pictures will be up soon, I hope. We were definitely a sight to behold. Heh.

Afterward, we heard that our Bloco buddies, Voodoo, were gonna busk afterwards at 8 or so. So off we went to Clarke Quay to get our voodoo on. Turns out they were only starting at 9. Well, no harm done.

It was suffice to say that I was FUCKING IMPRESSED. Yes, Voodoo Drums is the shiz, ladies and gentlemen. Bass-driven rhythms were accompanied with various melodies colourised by the triple-team of snare players, while talented frontmen took to the stage with accents on the djembe, xequere, and bells, as well as the huge oil drum that added a really rockin' industrial feel to their songs.

Two things they definitely have going for them - without a shadow of a doubt - are their showmanship, and their harmony. Crowd involvement was excellent, especially when the crowd itself responded. That issue can be a bitch with a lot of percussion groups. Vocalisations were added at appropriate points, even though sometimes they strained a lot to make themselves heard above the thumping beats. Every instrument was definitely in sync with one another, and even though there were occasional slip-ups, they were forgivable. I mean, the surdo players were working EXTREMELY hard for the money. I think they deserve some credit for that, don't you? Bass, I take my hat off to you, good sirs.

A delicious melding of familiar Asian tunes with contemporary and industrial sounds, Voodoo Drums will definitely leave you spellbound and wanting more. Cheers, dudes.

My headphone fetish got the best of me today.

Got news that Jade Gift Shop over at Century Square was stocking SkullCandy merchandise on its shelves, and I HAD to go check it out.

Kudos to Syik for the heads-up. XD

Here's the result of my latest splurge fest. =P

Presenting to you the SkullCandy iCon Headphones Gift Pack, which includes an exclusive SkullCandy chain and bandanna.

That was the package, pre-mutilation. Heh.

And here we have it unpackaged.

The whole set.

The headphones. I decided to go for simplicity this time.

Interchangeable ear cup covers. Purple? Thinking twice 'bout that.

Warranty info + Stencil which I already have from the last one I bought which was the G.I.

The necklace. Heh.

Warning pamphlet on excessive audio levels. Bleh.

Tried it on for size just now. Very, very light, and in no way cumbersome like the G.I. (The G.I. still owns in the rugged looks department, though) Great for a relatively active lifestyle and if you want to put on your headphones without using both hands. Minor, but it's still a factor in my book.

The sound's pretty awesome. Better than the G.I, I must say. I didn't have to boost the volume on my PSP all the way up just to get satisfactory sound, though I think it still could have been fixed to do better. Plus the noise isn't isolated to just your ears, so if you're the considerate type, try and take note of this 'cos anyone within ten metres of you will be able to hear whatever you're listening to. Yes, even if you're listening to The Ting Tings. (Ooh, burn!)

There you go, the SkullCandy iCon.

Something's really wrong with me.

This is the third post so far that has the words 'Star Trek' in it. *GASP*

Here we are, the post that absolutely violates every code of fanboy conduct I employ as a Star Wars fan.

Star Trek.

*shivers*

Urgh, here goes.

As soon as the opening scene begins, the audience is treated to a no-holds-barred 3-D feast for the eyes. I guess at that point, I was sold.

The movie itself was relatively newbie-friendly. It wasn't too heavily-laden with universe terminology and provided just enough information to the average viewer to give them a sense of what the hell's going on in this true blue geek flick. Of course, I came already armed with the basic knowledge of the main characters, Captain James T. Kirk and Mr Spock. (Well, I was only familiar with their names, but doesn't that already tell you how newbie-friendly this movie is?)

GAHH I can't write anymore about this movie lest I turn Trekkie.

All I can say is that it was 2 hours well-spent watching a thoroughly action packed movie based on a well-established series that's as old as my mother.

And and, John Cho aka HAROLD LEE FROM THE ABSURDLY FUNNY HAROLD AND KUMAR SERIES OF MOVIES was in it.

He played Hikaru Sulu, and wielded an extendable katana. LOLOL.

Okay done.

Star Trek turned out to be quite...good, surprisingly.

Bleh, proper review out tomorrow probably, if I'm not too lazy. Heh.

Must...get...some...sleep...

*Flumpf*

Star Trek movie meet-up tomorrow with tha doods.

No doubt, I'm gonna be such a major critic.

It's what you get when you make a Star Wars fan watch a Star Trek movie.

Legacy, Schmegacy.

I'd take clone troopers over Vulcans anyday.

Amazing it may be, but I decided to go minimalist in the span of a few minutes from the last post and created an ambigram, just for you.

First try: Ended up spelling 'Suzaing'. LOL.

Final Product: Hey hey, it's finally become 'Suzaina'! Heheh.

Had to add a little proof of originality there. =P

I still need to work on a constant font for my lettering though. You can only go so far drawing with your hands. =S

Ladies and gentleman, what you see before you is the Ape's very first attempt at making an ambigram of his name.

Ambi-what, you say?

Well, I saw an article in today's Today paper (Oh, the hilarity!) about this couple who were pretty established ambigram designers. Ambigrams...well, think of them as graphic palindromes.

Palindromes? Like a word or phrase that reads exactly the same when you reverse it?

Like Kayak?

Or Racecar?

Or Boob?

If you still can't get what a palindrome is by my last example, your level of intelligence should really come into question.

An ambigram is something similar, I guess. I'm no expert, but from examples I've seen at the couple's official website: Nagfa, this art form is pretty neat!

Yep. So the picture up top's supposed to spell H-A-F-E-E-Z. And when you flip it round 180 degrees, it should read the same way. But I don't blame you if you can't see it. It's all hand-drawn anyway, and it was done between logging match tapes at work. LOL.

Something tells me I just got something new to do in my spare time. XD

This day just turned out to be THE best day ever.

Headed to Giordano's Century Square branch just now to get shirts on which Fas will print the Upbeats designs for the Singapore Arts Fest gig coming in a few weeks' time.

One thing weird I noticed when the saleswomen (well, saleswoman and salesgirl, more accurately) were looking through the pile of plain tees to look for a suitable size for me:

___________________________________________________________

Salesgirl: "So what size are you?"

Me: "Umm, I'll try the L, thanks" (All the while considering an XL instead)

(Saleswoman approaches)

Saleswoman: "Hmm, why don't you try the M? Here, take this L in black, and you can try out this M in blue. See how it fits you."

Me: "Umm, okay. Thanks."

___________________________________________________________

No shopkeeper has EVER recommended to me a shirt in size M before.

EVER.

But, you know, I figured:

"What the heck. I'll be in the changing room anyway. If it doesn't fit, it's not like this hasn't happened before."

So I got into the changing closet, tried the black L, and as expected it fit quite nicely.

Then I got to the blue M.

And GLORY OF GLORIES, it actually managed to fit me.

No, it wasn't form-fitting at all. It fell on me quite...nicely, in fact.

I CAN FINALLY FIT INTO A SIZE M.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 7743987434 YEARS.

OMGOMGOMG SOMEBODY PINCH ME.

XDDD

I is happy. =)

OMGOMGOMG

GYM-ERCISE BABY!!!

Heheh.

So I've been going to the gym every weekend for two weeks now. Yeah, no biggie, I know; but looking at my relatively sedentary lifestyle (when I'm not out doing the samba workout at Bloco or Upbeats) any attempt at exercise that I make would probably make some difference. =P

And make a difference it did. First off, it helped that I had some gym kakis who were willing to tag along and take part in the Battle of the Bulge, unlike SOME people. (I'm looking at you, Ian.) And secondly, it helped that I had gym kakis who actually knew what they were doing. A big load of thanks to Zat and Dan for the in-gym guidance. =D

Now, clothes fit a 'lil better...and, well, that's about it. Oh, and I've been training on the biceps, triceps and shoulders for a bit too, and god, do they feel so much tighter. Definitely loving that.

Trying to make this a regular thing is going pretty well so far. Maybe the next time you see me, I'll be a lean mean drumming machine by then, eh?

Man, that was cheesy.

Whoever came up with Labour Day should be given like a fuckin' AWARD.

For once in three long weeks, my Friday is totally free.

Can I get a fuckin' HELL YEAH???

HELL YEAH.

I guess work's still pretty so-so; at least I've gotten used to the stuff around there. Work promises to get more stressful as the months come by, especially with the Asian Youth Games 'round the corner. Relationships are slowly growing, and that's definitely gonna help in easing the pain of 6 months. *groan*

Looking forward to Upbeats prac later today (*AHEM* XD) I've been aching to lay the beatdown on some drums since the week started.

Let the weekend begin.