Saturday, January 25, 2003
Offline Blog
Working on the website which hopefully will be the launching pad of a new beginning. A new beginnning of what you may ask? I am not too sure. Only the one who gave me this precious diamond knows. All I wanna do is to stay on the anvil and carve out the beauty within. Sing with me in due time.
Click here to go offline ...
chucKie
Working on the website which hopefully will be the launching pad of a new beginning. A new beginnning of what you may ask? I am not too sure. Only the one who gave me this precious diamond knows. All I wanna do is to stay on the anvil and carve out the beauty within. Sing with me in due time.
Click here to go offline ...
chucKie
Thursday, January 23, 2003
I got a new place
Preston. It's near Bundoora. But it's really not that far. I'm not kidding. Even if you think otherwise I'm still gonna have to slap you cos you are just simply ignorant of the fact that it really it isn't that far. I mean, come on, let me abuse you a little at this. I think I deserve to. And while we're at it, go fish out the melway and have a good look. It's just the next page after Parkville - yes, page 19 of your melway. There.
So, congratulate me all you socialites and party bastards. Forgive the french here but they have a way of making you feel so very welcome and part of the stronghold. yakyakyak. This is not an announcement. I've made many mistakes in the past and I just hope that you understand you too are human and I've always enjoyed watching you grow up - falling, crying, repenting and climbing up to fall again. It's all part of the deal here so just unload that shit and relax, damn it.
Man, I feel so much better. Don't go cussing now. Preston ain't that bad. It's bad for you. Yeah, I know. You are right to say that it is far. And far indeed it is. But this is me. Home is where I wanna be and home, well doesn't have to be measured via distance or the time spent travelling in my flight schedule. Maybe one day we'll find some use for it and have a picnic just outside the verandah of my place and count the stars and the countless satellites we can't tell right from left of. We could fall in love all over again - like we did last summer. Oh, those fairy tale promises we spun. We could have written a whole play or movie soundtrack out of it. I'll provide the words, you do the score - you're good at that and I've always believed in that.
But bugger that. There's a deep dark secret I think you ought to know. I was afraid to let the cat out of the bag and I'm actually shivering right now holding you in my arms. I guess I was never used to doing this - holding you. Feels weird. But there's been change - a definite answer, I guess. So how may I help you? No, I'm not here to help. I'm here to confess and explain myself and apologize again for breaking your heart and for witholding confidential information. Had promises to keep so you became the victim of my devices. So the answer is yes and no. Yes I was. No I'm not. Although occassionally I do suffer from rheumatism of sorts. It is under control and most importantly, I've made up my mind to stay in love - even if it means being alone for the rest of my life. Cos I know this won't lead me to loneliness - some of the folks I grew up with in Sunday school are more lonely now than when they first started dating the pretty lasses in knee high skirts.
I still don't know where this will lead us. But I just want to come home to a table laid with the food you made with your hands. I want to come back to a bed made nice and soft to rest my tired bones. I want to come home to a home and not just a hostel for a one night stand. I guess I'm being selfish.
That's why I have been silent all these years.
But yeah, I've got a new place!
chucKie.
Preston. It's near Bundoora. But it's really not that far. I'm not kidding. Even if you think otherwise I'm still gonna have to slap you cos you are just simply ignorant of the fact that it really it isn't that far. I mean, come on, let me abuse you a little at this. I think I deserve to. And while we're at it, go fish out the melway and have a good look. It's just the next page after Parkville - yes, page 19 of your melway. There.
So, congratulate me all you socialites and party bastards. Forgive the french here but they have a way of making you feel so very welcome and part of the stronghold. yakyakyak. This is not an announcement. I've made many mistakes in the past and I just hope that you understand you too are human and I've always enjoyed watching you grow up - falling, crying, repenting and climbing up to fall again. It's all part of the deal here so just unload that shit and relax, damn it.
Man, I feel so much better. Don't go cussing now. Preston ain't that bad. It's bad for you. Yeah, I know. You are right to say that it is far. And far indeed it is. But this is me. Home is where I wanna be and home, well doesn't have to be measured via distance or the time spent travelling in my flight schedule. Maybe one day we'll find some use for it and have a picnic just outside the verandah of my place and count the stars and the countless satellites we can't tell right from left of. We could fall in love all over again - like we did last summer. Oh, those fairy tale promises we spun. We could have written a whole play or movie soundtrack out of it. I'll provide the words, you do the score - you're good at that and I've always believed in that.
But bugger that. There's a deep dark secret I think you ought to know. I was afraid to let the cat out of the bag and I'm actually shivering right now holding you in my arms. I guess I was never used to doing this - holding you. Feels weird. But there's been change - a definite answer, I guess. So how may I help you? No, I'm not here to help. I'm here to confess and explain myself and apologize again for breaking your heart and for witholding confidential information. Had promises to keep so you became the victim of my devices. So the answer is yes and no. Yes I was. No I'm not. Although occassionally I do suffer from rheumatism of sorts. It is under control and most importantly, I've made up my mind to stay in love - even if it means being alone for the rest of my life. Cos I know this won't lead me to loneliness - some of the folks I grew up with in Sunday school are more lonely now than when they first started dating the pretty lasses in knee high skirts.
I still don't know where this will lead us. But I just want to come home to a table laid with the food you made with your hands. I want to come back to a bed made nice and soft to rest my tired bones. I want to come home to a home and not just a hostel for a one night stand. I guess I'm being selfish.
That's why I have been silent all these years.
But yeah, I've got a new place!
chucKie.
Friday, January 17, 2003
To bed or not to bed ...
Actually, that is not even the question. Cos I want to bed - sleep, that is. But I can't. Just can't do it. Again. Yes, I know, it's the same old story, yawn.
Was actually half way between reality and dreamland at about 12.30am. I know it was probably 12.30 am cos I went to bed at about 12.15 and managed to snug comfortably under the sheets to doze off. It got a bit warmer and the myriad of things swimming in my head was just too loud for me to go into dream mode. And then, the proverbial self fulfilling prophecy comes true again...
My phone starting ringing, no actually, screeching and cutting through the dark and stuffy air. Who wouldn't be shocked to wake up? If I were in a coma, this would have been my electrocuting device to jump start my system. And jump I did. Not literally, but it jostled me out of my line of rest. I was 80% awake by the time the caller decided, which took quite a looooong while, that it was already late and people actually do have the liberty and the choice to get to bed. I'm just hoping it isn't someone I know. I will skin her alive. Hey, wait a minute, could be a him. But who would call me at this hour?
So, now, 3 hours later, I'm here blogging, trying to calm myself down from the ordeal and the increasing heat wave that is building up in my room. I'm actually perspiring so badly right now. Today's forecast is supposed to be a ridiculous high of 38 degrees. Ok, correction, it's revised to 33 degrees. The Bureau of Meterology has just updated the forecast.
And tomorrow I have a morning class. Why does it always happen when I have important things to wake up early for, like going for classes? I hate Murphy already. Wish I was a computer - so that shut downs and all that sleep mode things can be scheduled easily with a click of a mouse.
Talk about mouse, I'm going to have a conversation with Stitch and hopefully that will put me in a better mood to fall asleep.
Yes, I said Stitch... got a problem?
chucKie
Actually, that is not even the question. Cos I want to bed - sleep, that is. But I can't. Just can't do it. Again. Yes, I know, it's the same old story, yawn.
Was actually half way between reality and dreamland at about 12.30am. I know it was probably 12.30 am cos I went to bed at about 12.15 and managed to snug comfortably under the sheets to doze off. It got a bit warmer and the myriad of things swimming in my head was just too loud for me to go into dream mode. And then, the proverbial self fulfilling prophecy comes true again...
My phone starting ringing, no actually, screeching and cutting through the dark and stuffy air. Who wouldn't be shocked to wake up? If I were in a coma, this would have been my electrocuting device to jump start my system. And jump I did. Not literally, but it jostled me out of my line of rest. I was 80% awake by the time the caller decided, which took quite a looooong while, that it was already late and people actually do have the liberty and the choice to get to bed. I'm just hoping it isn't someone I know. I will skin her alive. Hey, wait a minute, could be a him. But who would call me at this hour?
So, now, 3 hours later, I'm here blogging, trying to calm myself down from the ordeal and the increasing heat wave that is building up in my room. I'm actually perspiring so badly right now. Today's forecast is supposed to be a ridiculous high of 38 degrees. Ok, correction, it's revised to 33 degrees. The Bureau of Meterology has just updated the forecast.
And tomorrow I have a morning class. Why does it always happen when I have important things to wake up early for, like going for classes? I hate Murphy already. Wish I was a computer - so that shut downs and all that sleep mode things can be scheduled easily with a click of a mouse.
Talk about mouse, I'm going to have a conversation with Stitch and hopefully that will put me in a better mood to fall asleep.
Yes, I said Stitch... got a problem?
chucKie
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
The Bootleg is ready
It was like magic. Discovered one menu drop down and figured it all out. Like a snowball effect, everything is history in the making.
Last night, I decided to sit down and figure out the audio software out. Was even prepared to reformat the entire HD, backup and reinstall everything from scratch.
Then I found the menu item I have been lookiing for all this while.
Three hours later, I made my first mixed down bootleg CD - John Mayer Live @ HiFI Bar, Melbourne (Australia) on 29th October 2002!*
Sounds great to me. Added some simple but powerful filters and was I impressed. After all this is my first attempt at mixing something and getting it out on audio CD. I'm so proud of me =)
Now that I am on the road, it'll be easier to fix up that demo I've been talking about. But first, I have to go for my TaiBox class. We'll continue after these messages...
chucKie
*ps: It is completely legal to bootleg all John Mayer shows. He even encourages it - as long as you don't profit from it. Check his website for the legalities. Or click here for the actual press release on taping policy. For the techies, it was recorded on E-Gene's MZR500 Sony MiniDisc and transferred via MotU 828 Firewire Digital Audio Interface to a Powerbook G3 (Macs Rock!!!) for mix down and the audio CD was authored with the latest Yamaha CDWF1 @ 44x speed.
It was like magic. Discovered one menu drop down and figured it all out. Like a snowball effect, everything is history in the making.
Last night, I decided to sit down and figure out the audio software out. Was even prepared to reformat the entire HD, backup and reinstall everything from scratch.
Then I found the menu item I have been lookiing for all this while.
Three hours later, I made my first mixed down bootleg CD - John Mayer Live @ HiFI Bar, Melbourne (Australia) on 29th October 2002!*
Sounds great to me. Added some simple but powerful filters and was I impressed. After all this is my first attempt at mixing something and getting it out on audio CD. I'm so proud of me =)
Now that I am on the road, it'll be easier to fix up that demo I've been talking about. But first, I have to go for my TaiBox class. We'll continue after these messages...
chucKie
*ps: It is completely legal to bootleg all John Mayer shows. He even encourages it - as long as you don't profit from it. Check his website for the legalities. Or click here for the actual press release on taping policy. For the techies, it was recorded on E-Gene's MZR500 Sony MiniDisc and transferred via MotU 828 Firewire Digital Audio Interface to a Powerbook G3 (Macs Rock!!!) for mix down and the audio CD was authored with the latest Yamaha CDWF1 @ 44x speed.
Saturday, January 11, 2003
Do you ever get this way?
Everyone procrastinates. Don't we all do that?
It always wells up within me the courage and enthusiasm to get down to doing something - when I have only 1 hour before I go to work. Then thousands of ideas, and adrenaline arrive at my head waiting to explode.
But I have to suppress it and get dressed to go to work.
And then the days when I have nothing, absolutely nothing to commit to, instead of working on the creative things, I go shopping, movies, dinner and all that hanging around at the local bookstores. And halfway through, I wish I was home in an instant, working on this new idea that just popped in my head.
Will I ever keep the promise I made to myself? Will I produce the music my soul cannot stop singing? Will I make the mark of my own yard stick and prove to you that I have decided not to become the victim of your vindications?
chucKie
Everyone procrastinates. Don't we all do that?
It always wells up within me the courage and enthusiasm to get down to doing something - when I have only 1 hour before I go to work. Then thousands of ideas, and adrenaline arrive at my head waiting to explode.
But I have to suppress it and get dressed to go to work.
And then the days when I have nothing, absolutely nothing to commit to, instead of working on the creative things, I go shopping, movies, dinner and all that hanging around at the local bookstores. And halfway through, I wish I was home in an instant, working on this new idea that just popped in my head.
Will I ever keep the promise I made to myself? Will I produce the music my soul cannot stop singing? Will I make the mark of my own yard stick and prove to you that I have decided not to become the victim of your vindications?
chucKie
Friday, January 10, 2003
Murphy's Law - Part Deux
This is actually law number 3 - Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Missed the morning class again today. Set my alarm clock at 7.00 but woke up at 10.30am. Didn't hear the alarm go off. No actually, it didn't go off at all.
I set the alarm at 7.00 alright, But it was 7.00pm and not 7.00am! I'm gonna get me one of those 24hr clocks man! The pm and am thing is just so confusing!
I must make it to the arvo class. No excuses and mishaps this time. At least I'm not setting the washer to run.
chucKie
This is actually law number 3 - Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Missed the morning class again today. Set my alarm clock at 7.00 but woke up at 10.30am. Didn't hear the alarm go off. No actually, it didn't go off at all.
I set the alarm at 7.00 alright, But it was 7.00pm and not 7.00am! I'm gonna get me one of those 24hr clocks man! The pm and am thing is just so confusing!
I must make it to the arvo class. No excuses and mishaps this time. At least I'm not setting the washer to run.
chucKie
Thursday, January 09, 2003
All the drama I can do without ...
I'm sure you've felt like this before - waking up on the wrong side of bed and you know everything is just going to go 'murphy's law' wrong.
Woke up several times this morning to the snooze and managed to switch the alarm radio completely off to doze for another hour. Missed my morning class and was kicking myself several times for waking up late. This was just the beginning.
Decided to sit in for the afternoon session. Did the laundry, washed my rust stained Old Navy flannel shirt again, took my royal shower - face job, nose job, exfoliation, toner, hydroxy serum, mosturiser, cologne, contact lens, t-shirt and jeans. Done and ready to go.
Bags, packed. Shoes, well, just a tick away ... and there it was like a virus creeping up slowly towards me from the bathroom. Noticed that the washer was filling up with water and ... SHIT! It's spilling WATER!
My house is flooded!
I grabbed every tissue, t-shirt, towel, cloth and carpets in the close vicinity to soak up the water and keep it from reaching the books and shelves. Bad idea to have your living room lined with carpets and books and magazines stacked from the floor. Bad bad bad idea!
Then I realised that the water was still filling up! Doh! Go to the source dude!
Opened the washer cabinet and realised that the hose connecting to the sewer was missing. It was writhing on the floor like a snake vomitting post-rinse laundry water. I turned off the machine and grabbed the hose by the neck and pushed it back into the sewer hole. By then my whole bathroom was flooded with nice smelling floral & citrus scented water. Good thing I was only washing one shirt. Could have been worse.
So there I was, with my newly bought micro-fibre towels soaking up the water. Soaks up 7 times its own weight. Was I glad I found them and boy was it timely.
Argh! The woes of staying alone! If there was someone else in the house, I could have left the dirty job to them and whizzed off to my class.
Yes, I missed the afternoon class as a result of murphy's law.
Gotta do something to save the day. Hmm, Sarah just called ... movie? Deal!
chucKie
I'm sure you've felt like this before - waking up on the wrong side of bed and you know everything is just going to go 'murphy's law' wrong.
Woke up several times this morning to the snooze and managed to switch the alarm radio completely off to doze for another hour. Missed my morning class and was kicking myself several times for waking up late. This was just the beginning.
Decided to sit in for the afternoon session. Did the laundry, washed my rust stained Old Navy flannel shirt again, took my royal shower - face job, nose job, exfoliation, toner, hydroxy serum, mosturiser, cologne, contact lens, t-shirt and jeans. Done and ready to go.
Bags, packed. Shoes, well, just a tick away ... and there it was like a virus creeping up slowly towards me from the bathroom. Noticed that the washer was filling up with water and ... SHIT! It's spilling WATER!
My house is flooded!
I grabbed every tissue, t-shirt, towel, cloth and carpets in the close vicinity to soak up the water and keep it from reaching the books and shelves. Bad idea to have your living room lined with carpets and books and magazines stacked from the floor. Bad bad bad idea!
Then I realised that the water was still filling up! Doh! Go to the source dude!
Opened the washer cabinet and realised that the hose connecting to the sewer was missing. It was writhing on the floor like a snake vomitting post-rinse laundry water. I turned off the machine and grabbed the hose by the neck and pushed it back into the sewer hole. By then my whole bathroom was flooded with nice smelling floral & citrus scented water. Good thing I was only washing one shirt. Could have been worse.
So there I was, with my newly bought micro-fibre towels soaking up the water. Soaks up 7 times its own weight. Was I glad I found them and boy was it timely.
Argh! The woes of staying alone! If there was someone else in the house, I could have left the dirty job to them and whizzed off to my class.
Yes, I missed the afternoon class as a result of murphy's law.
Gotta do something to save the day. Hmm, Sarah just called ... movie? Deal!
chucKie
Thursday, January 02, 2003
The Edge Of The World
On NYE's a whole bunch of us drove down the other side of the less travelled coast in search of shell seafood. Literally the other side of Victoria. 170km. 3 hours of three cars trailing each other back to back.
Venus Bay. Aptly named. Clams, shells, seafood for mankind. Actually, only for asians. Cos we eat anything and everything don't we? Even though it means food harvested from beneath the sandy shores. Even though it means only a small bite sized chewy rubber texture we call seafood. These shell like creatures are what the aussies call 'pipis'. Clams, aren't they?
Three cars, one MPV and one Tarrago. Approximately 20 of us doing what they call the 'Pipi Dance'. Cos that's what you do to dig and burrow deep into the freshly washed shore with your feet. Twist and burrow. Dig and dive into the waters. Until the rain came, pelting us till it was too difficult to even open your eyes to differentiate between live pipis and mere shells.
The harvest wasn't great. According to the ones who were at the harvest season last year, one could find a dozen of them in one small spot alone. We didn't have much luck. If we could find three pipis in one spot, it was considered holy ground. I had fun digging with my hands instead of my feet. Found many pipis just by digging deep and praying. At times I just let the backwash trickle the sand off my hands as I keep them cupped backwards to hopefully catch something. And I did catch at least three pipis that way. God has a way of rewarding those who wait patiently on Him. I asked and felt Him say, Stop... Don't move... Stay there... It'll come to you... And it did.
I believe I gathered about 20 pieces in that cold rainy afternoon.
Then it was another long drive back to the outer suburbs of beautiful houses sitting on the rising and sinking slopes of Doncaster/Templestowe. This was Auntie May and Uncle Herman's house in Doncaster. NYE's dinner. Where the harvesters and friends of the harvesters gather to enjoy the fruit of their labour. Clams fried in chilli. Clams fried in garlic. And inversions of party food like chow mein, curry, salads and the general like.
That night, after the count down and little hugs of happy new years, I said to Yu Li that this has to be the best NYE.
It was you know. Just look at the picture man!
chucKie
PS: If pictures don't load properly, use right mouse click over pic and select 'show picture'.
On NYE's a whole bunch of us drove down the other side of the less travelled coast in search of shell seafood. Literally the other side of Victoria. 170km. 3 hours of three cars trailing each other back to back.
Venus Bay. Aptly named. Clams, shells, seafood for mankind. Actually, only for asians. Cos we eat anything and everything don't we? Even though it means food harvested from beneath the sandy shores. Even though it means only a small bite sized chewy rubber texture we call seafood. These shell like creatures are what the aussies call 'pipis'. Clams, aren't they?
Three cars, one MPV and one Tarrago. Approximately 20 of us doing what they call the 'Pipi Dance'. Cos that's what you do to dig and burrow deep into the freshly washed shore with your feet. Twist and burrow. Dig and dive into the waters. Until the rain came, pelting us till it was too difficult to even open your eyes to differentiate between live pipis and mere shells.
The harvest wasn't great. According to the ones who were at the harvest season last year, one could find a dozen of them in one small spot alone. We didn't have much luck. If we could find three pipis in one spot, it was considered holy ground. I had fun digging with my hands instead of my feet. Found many pipis just by digging deep and praying. At times I just let the backwash trickle the sand off my hands as I keep them cupped backwards to hopefully catch something. And I did catch at least three pipis that way. God has a way of rewarding those who wait patiently on Him. I asked and felt Him say, Stop... Don't move... Stay there... It'll come to you... And it did.
I believe I gathered about 20 pieces in that cold rainy afternoon.
Then it was another long drive back to the outer suburbs of beautiful houses sitting on the rising and sinking slopes of Doncaster/Templestowe. This was Auntie May and Uncle Herman's house in Doncaster. NYE's dinner. Where the harvesters and friends of the harvesters gather to enjoy the fruit of their labour. Clams fried in chilli. Clams fried in garlic. And inversions of party food like chow mein, curry, salads and the general like.
That night, after the count down and little hugs of happy new years, I said to Yu Li that this has to be the best NYE.
It was you know. Just look at the picture man!
chucKie
PS: If pictures don't load properly, use right mouse click over pic and select 'show picture'.
