Anyway, so when I heard, or rather read in Life! that Dream Theater were coming to Singapore this year, my heart galloped faster than the girls on those nasty Osim iGallop ads they have on tv now. ugh. But anyway, and after pinching myself countless times to make sure I didn't read wrongly 1) The place of the concert, 2) the date of the concert, 3) the people performing at the concert I decided that, hell I've got to be there man. Finally some people whom I'd actually look forward to watch. This is the real deal man.
Fast foward to fri 27th jan 06, and after finally securing my tix on wed( thanks to certain people procrastinating to pay for their tix and eventually cancelling.hmph!) I was as ready as hell to go rock out. Oh oh the past few days were spend just listening solely to DT, because although I pretty know all their lyrics by heart, I, ya know didn't wanna malu. Heh. And Darren and I could sorta feel the excitement gathering on the train home from .16 lunch at Ghim Moh while listening to Endless Sacrifice. Yum!(no not the lunch). And it was the same kinda excitement that you feel before SYF, so yeah I was pumped.
Five hours later ( and I knew it was five hours because I was counting down the time with Elsa..haha) I met Wen Long and John at the North Entrace, Singapore Indoor Stadium. Ohh and Kristen too, thanks so much for trying to get us the 120 bucks tix btw! It was like 8.30 when I went in, and although the concert didn't start till 9, the atmosphere, was hella good for around 4000 people. Oh and yesh I know that 4k sucks for an Indoor Stadium concert, and I bet the Backstreet Boys, Black Eyed Peas et al had far greater turnouts. But I don't care, because Singapore is a cesspool for good music anyway...Like I've always said, if you can't find it on 98.7, you probably won't find it being known in Singapore.
Without digressing further to the narrow minded musical tastes of modern yoof, I was uber disappointed as I was walking pass the merch section at the entrance of the stadium because all the Dream Theater shirts were sold out by 5pm!!!! Arrrghhhh. And what was left of were only a couple of real nice Bootlegs of previous DT performances. Without stopping to cry for long over the T shirts that never were, I quickly bought the Dream Theater Live In Tokyo bootleg and went to my seat. The three of us bought 90 bucks tix, but John's sis apparantly had found us 120 tix space, so we sat there after intermission. But first, my heart went aflutter at seeing the two bass drums emblazoned with the DT logo at the front of the stage, and the calming pendulums of the "Octavarium" logo. And when the lights dimmed I knew I was in for one helluva show.
Mike Portnoy's Drum Set Amongst The Masses:
The show opened with The Root Of All Evil and Panic Attack, from Octavarium, and the unfortunate thing was that, within the first twenty minutes, there were kids in front of me SITTING DOWN. wth man. You know the type that wouldn't look outta place at a class outing, with the oversized Dream Theater shirt that only his kiasu ass could have gotten him. Hmph. And the crowd, or part of the crowd around me was quite sedate. Mostly made up of 40 year old mats with their wives, a few groups of teenage mats, but quite tame, and a few groups of middle aged/twenty something europeans/americans. No one was really rocking out, except for a couple of groups, and well me. hehe. Ohh but there was this European guy in front of me, with long hair, whom I managed to get a pic of, too bad I didn't manage to get any hair swinging antics on film. haha
Oh and don't mind the empty seats at the front, apparantly all the lucky 150 buck tix people crowded the front of the stage. :)
Back to the set. AH WAIT. Crap how could I have forgotten to first introduce the members of Dream Theater. From left :Jordan Rudess, John Myung, James LaBrie, John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy!!! *faints*
Bleah that was so groupie. Anyway after a couple of songs from Octavarium, LaBrie greeted the audience with the most magnificant "Hello Singaporeeeee!" I've heard. And I'm biased.Haha He said that finally Dream Theater has managed to come to Singapore, and *cue cheers* we would be in for one fun night. So this was their 20th anniversary tour, thus the sets included songs from all their 8 albums. Crap la I can't remember the first set really well, except that there was a couple of songs from When Dream and Day Unite" I think. Under A Glass Moon from Images and Words was also excellent. But one of the highlights of the first set, and to me of the night was "Peruvian Skies". Omg. This was one of the very first DT songs I've listened to, and to hear it again live was just awesome. The rousing keyboards of Rudess totally enhanced the mood, and btw I think he really outdid himself that night.
Under peruvian skies
Vanessa regretfully waits
ahem. And soon after that, was "Fatal Tragedy.", another one of my absolute favourites, from the Scenes from A Memory album. Everything, every solo, every key and time signature change was spot on. I was gushing. And rocking. It was amazing..
And I thought they couldn't out do themselves, but the 2nd set was just as, if not more brillant ( no it wasn't because we changed to 120 dollar tix) haha.
And i think ill give the details of the 2nd set in the next post, this one's hella long ;)
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Dream Theater was amazing.
awesome.
my neck hurts from all the headbanging.
Will give a proper update once I've emerged from euphoria.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
haha gush I'm never one to participate in web based quizzes such as " Which soft drink best describes your personality", or " Which celeb best reminds you of your mother?" Ya know, that kinda thing.
BUT this is just too damn funny. Took it from yenn weii's site, and although this is not a quiz per se, the randomness and utter disregard for any semblence of sanity or logic just struck a chord within me. Struck it so hard that now I have to share this with the rest of the depraved, voracious nolifers of the internet. And I'd be hurt if you don't know who kani is. enjoy!Ten Top Trivia Tips about Kani!
Ghost Of Perdition - Opeth
Ghost of Mother
Lingering death
Ghost on Mother's bed
Black strands on the pillow
Contour of her health
Twisted face upon the head
Ghost of perdition
Stuck in her chest
A warning no one read
Tragic friendship
Called inside the fog
Pouring venom brew deceiving
Devil cracked the earthly shell
Foretold she was the one
Blew hope into the room and said
"You have to live before you die young"
Holding her down
Channeling darkness
Hemlock for the Gods
Fading resistance
Draining the weakness
Penetrating inner light
Road into the dark unaware
Winding ever higher
Darkness by her side
Spoke and passed her by
Dedicated hunter
Waits to pull us under
Rose up to it's call
In his arms she'd fall
Mother light received
And a faithful servant's free
In time the hissing of her sanity
Faded out her voice and soiled her name
And like marked pages in a diary
Everything seemed clean that is unstained
The incoherent talk of ordinary days
Why would we really need to live?
Decide what is clear and what's within a haze
What you should take and what to give
Ghost of perdition
A saint's premonition's unclear
Keeper of holy hoards
Keeper of holy whores
To see a beloved son
In despair of what's to come
If one cut the source of the flow
And everything would change
Would conviction fall
In the shadow of the righteous
The phantasm of your mind
Might be calling you to go
Defying the forgotten morals
Where the victim is the prey
Hmm, listening to Opeth on a grey afternoon, with rain peltering the streets outside, when everything seems to take on a dark hue and sepia tone, is, in fact rather therapuetic. Yes.
Delivered at 4:21 PM;
Thursday, January 19, 2006
This entry is about appointments, mainy because the keeping of time is one of man's most revered, well to me at least, qualities. I think there was something bout time being an investment from today's devotion...And did I just remember something from a morning devotion from acsi?! And do I dare say that it was from Philip Tieh!? gush. I must be growing up.
Anyway, appointments are figuring prominently in my humble existence. But the one to rule them all is the type that I like to call, amongst many an evangilical pastor, a divine appointment. Scientists and theorists call it a catysclimic collision of atoms and particles which create what one would define as a positive circumstance. Aunties and fortune tellers with their facaimao call it good fortune, or fate. All crap. Not going to go into theology but in the hope of living a life that you know, isn't void of God divine appointments are the small details and circumstances in your monotone that actually remind you there's Someone looking out for your sorry butt. And that He loves doing it.
Divine appointments come in all shapes and sizes. Be it for finances, worries or just the meshed out, worn fabrics of life, they really affirm the fact that God is alive and well in the godforsaken world of today. I won't go into the usual stereotypical examples of divine appointments, but for me one just showed up on my door a couple days back. A phonecall from Ali, Alastair Su.
I was sitting at home thinking bad thoughts, feeling that detachment, loss and hunger that should be fed by Eternal Means, not useless mortal placebos. It was kinda funny, that when I saw his name on my caller ID I knew that it was from God. K nothing divine bout Mr.Su and stuff, but his dedication to bringing Christianity into another level in ACS(I) says something bout the man. And he's usually my Jimeny Cricket, the sane fellow in this melting pot of hot heads. So yeah, hard to explain but I knew that God had a purpose for the ensuing conversation. I wasn't surprised when Ali said something along these lines : " hey I know this may sound a little weird but God told me to call you. I think that there might be some stuff in your life that you have to address."
Haha, for everyone who's eyeballs are bulging and drooping out of their sockets at the sight of my religious commentaries, this is how it is man. And without going into minute details, I found a much needed refreshing of Him from that phone call. I have always been a devout Christian, but sometimes, and I admit this, I get hot headed and impatient when I see inaction, both in church or school. My faith in Him will always be unfaltering, but there are times when I get frustrated when things aren't just happening. And I've just came through one of those. (:
So my point is, The same God that healed the sick and raised the dead in the Bible, is ALIVE, WELL and MOVING in this world. You may not feel Him, or you may just have something innate against faith, obedience, and dependence. But let me tell you, the God I serve is not a weak God. He's a loving God, but that does not make Him soft. Rather, in Him our weakness is made strong..and if we learn to trust, we'll see SIGNS AND WONDERs. You can quote me on that.
On another note, for all those wide eyed observers of IB and want an update on the bumbleebee tied going ons within 121 dover road, let's just say that it's been a journey of appointments to keep. Most significantly its my appointment with the various advocators of lecture and class model. Which means we should cut down the amount of curiculum we pon, lest we become pon stars. har. But in our defence the year has barely started, and as Alvin Tan said today, " Life In ACS(I) before CNY is non-existent. There ain't such a thing as January." But I concur that the honeymoon of orientation has ended. Sniff.
TO WAR!
K another appointment which I have vowed to keep, is my bond with the men who started kicking spheres before they could crawl, and could dribble while they were, erm still dribbling. I am ashamed to say that I have missed 5 out of a possible 14 soccer sessions since school started. (woah alliteration. Try analyzingthat. I dare you). And I must clarify, that my lack of action within my legs has NOT been due to the influx of the fairer sex in dear 121 dover road! Really larrrr, haha I'm not supposed to play footie with my (was) new shoes, and I'm a wuss so I don't like playing barefoot, so I'm kinda waiting till I get new soccer shoes..thus I didn't play that much the past 2 weeks.But I can't resist anymore so let's throw caution to the wind.
However, as I have acspereienced today, sitting in the cpa for the first 20 mins of a lecture being perspired and looking perplexed around females ain't on my list of favourite activites. So i guess i'll have to remember to bring a corporate t shirt to change to when playing, like xutianping. haha it's my duty as a scholarleaderglobalcitizen not to stink up the place alongside my colleagues with manly emissions so yea. hahahah
Ohhh but to those who really have become all glassy eyed and fluttery hearted just because there are females out there willing to give you more than 5 seconds of their time, its time you grew up. Sure its cool, something new and quite fun having girls around. For me because i've been in a guy's school all my life (JS forever), and i'm no homo, so I do talk to girls, and enjoy the time spent with them. BUT, to paraphrase of Aragorn son of Arathorn, to the hosts of Gondor and Rohan at the edge of the Black Gate of Mordor :-
"Sons of IB! Of ACS! My brothers. I see in your eyes the same girls that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of pain and shattered hearts when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we unite! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"
So in closing, keep your appointments always. Never forget our band of brothers, for infatuation, lust, and ego boosting are temporal and fleeting, but friendship and brotherliness built over years will never forsake you. If female companionship is what you cannot put on hold at the expense of leaving your friends behind, I have nothing to say. We can all strike a balance in our lives can't we.
As steadfast as rocks on the coast against crashing sea
Is what we define, and call, the spirit of AC.
Nuff said.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Why do I feel so detached?Not detached as in the tie note concept, but just living a life outside life.
It's as if there's this big pervading blue fence of unfamilarity around me. You know in the stories about A and E patients, when during the operation they expereince an 'out of body' moment? A sorta floating sensation, where they observe the rigours they're physical selves are being put through? Yep. So it feels like I'm just filtering in and out of consciousness, alive yet without identity.
Confused? Welcome to the club.
It may be the mad rush to accustomize myself to new academia. IB was never gonna be a bed of roses they say, but isn't it a bit early to start feeling the prick of the thorns? Let me digress. As you can probably guess, this entry is actually serious, unlike the previous 2 or 3, so bear with me. All good humorists should be able to take a step back from (or out of) reality and look at themselves. So yeah.
The bridging courses we have had, don't bridge. Rather in a bout of introspection, they only serve to tell me how much I don't know, and how ill prepared I am. Steph says I'll be fine, and well gotta trust her since she's graduating in August, and leaving to the UK (sniff.), but I don't know. I guess I'll have to judge again once lessons actually start, but from the academic endeavours of 2006 (GDC whoring and a zuowen), or rather my lack of interest in these academic endeavours, I feel like I'm degenerating. Detached and degenerating, double Ds that describe (woah alliteration) my demise. hahah not really demise, but still..
So back to my astral experience. So I see myself going through the motions of everyday life. But is this the life I'm satisfied with? A couple of my greatest fears in life, are isolation, lack of conversation and regret. And shards of these I feel already. Premature jitters? Maybe. Unwarranted? Perhaps. But I don't know, it just dosen't feel right.
Plenty of "I don't know"s littering this entry, and that's the truth. I feel lost in a sea of faces. People that I know seem so hard to talk to. It's like I've lost zest. Everything's going at 56k, a drag...And no this is not some emo rant. I am not :
1) heartbroken
2) suicidal
3) delusional.
Just surreal. And weary.
This screams "welcome to reality". So here goes, Day 20: Confrontation, by Ayreon. A metal opera/musical of 20 tracks, where the protagonist is visited by the emotions of his life (in the brackets) after a car accident. His head's feeling pretty messed up I offer.
Tell me bout it.
Welcome to reality, be ready for the pain
Welcome to reality, will it be in vain
Welcome to reality,
Nothing much has changed since you were gone
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Dayyymnn. Whirlwind of two weeks being a scholarleaderglobalcitizen, quite surreal in fact. I could/cannot get used to this. Been coming home the past few days after 9 by myself, which, in its own right has garnered me many a long bus ride home.
Which I adore, obviously. Sometimes it's good to live so far away from the rest of the multitude, seeing things they don't see, and feeling the heartbeat of a place long forgotten and desolated by men. Hah.
I feel that the general view of the North Side, and Serangoon in particular which the majority of people in the school subscribes to is obscured, narrow minded and tinted. News flash, civilization does exist in serangoon! ahh. K I won't really bother explaining why Serangoon > Clementi except for two words : Pow Sing. Open your eyes, come to Serangoon. You'll never wanna leave.
so yeah, representin the north side foo!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
To quote mel,
ARE YOU LIVING THE IB DREAM YET?!?!
phew, had to get that outta my chest. So what prose and verse can describe enough the sheer gravity and magnitude(haha that rocks) of this institution of excellence?!! None.
these times they are Acsiting.
Monday, January 02, 2006
haha! that time of year again, to smell the new bibi and baba merchandise, and to smile, till work rears its ugly head (: So take care..chin up, the world awaits you.
And Justice For All.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Happy New Year! (: