Predictions of the Past

Domain Name for Sale! ~hiaccelerator.com~

2010-11-18T00:31:00.000+08:00

This domain is currently available on Moniker/Snapnames.

hiaccelerator.com

Auction ends November 21st 2010.
Go to http://bit.ly/aecFug and Bid Now!

New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Gameplay Video of First 3 Levels)

2010-09-17T02:58:00.001+08:00

I was a fan of the old school NES game. Now I think I need this Wii thingamajig more than ever.

Bull

2010-08-01T12:46:00.001+08:00

Here's another one of those ads that talks about "how-to-do" things and tells you how "I'll show you in just a couple of minutes" but end up giving you actually nothing but the price of the product.

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/men-get-lean-abs.html

I clicked just to prove myself right and to see how it is still the main method in internet marketing. Be an instant victim and visit. You'll see what I mean.

Wrong Character

2010-07-31T14:01:00.001+08:00

A schmuck on yahoo got it wrong. The picture in the article is actually of Dhalsim from the Street Fighter series, not from Avatar The Last Airbender as the caption states. Know your characters before writing your articles you schmuck.

Office Space movie

2010-07-31T13:57:00.000+08:00

Saw this movie the other day. It reminded me of where I was about a year ago. Many of the things I could relate to very well. Glad I'm no longer there. Great independent movie though. Thumbs up!

On making the move to FLAC format.

2010-06-23T01:09:00.001+08:00

Now I know it's a pretty old topic and I'm such a noob at this. But I've recently discovered (“discovered” being the best term I could find when the audio format has already been in my Jet Audio's conversion format listing for a while and I’ve never been the one to try or do any research on it before). What I’ve accidentally found out from reading forum discussions is that the Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is actually an exact copy of the wave file but in a compressed form.

Compared to the 320kbps mp3 format, the FLAC is noticeably bigger in size. The cool factor in all this is that FLAC file is one of those compression type formats that can be similarly described as the RAR or ZIP format for audio. It compresses the file but does not in any way degrade the quality of the audio file. Hence the term “Lossless”. Compared to the all-oh-so-ever-popular MP3 format, (you know, the thing that Metallica was bitching about some years back) the FLAC format merely compresses the wave file in another format and has no effect on the original quality from which the source it was taken from. While the MP3 however, strips down the audio to a simpler form thus diminishing the quality of the original audio source. So let’s get this straight, it’s a compressed audio file format that maintains the original cd quality. That’s cool enough for me.

I know most people would criticize about how unfriendly the format is to most portable audio players and how little difference it makes as compared to even the highest MP3 bitrate. My reason in converting to this format and argument for all this is simple and practical;

1.To truly enjoy a good quality audio, you don’t use a pocket sized player that can store a hundreds of thousands of low rate audio format and expect it to sound awesome using some earplugs as an excuse for a speaker. Even the use of a high end stereo headphones won’t change that. For someone who really likes to listen to every bit and sound of the music, a simple stereo system or a PC and a silent room is but a minimum requirement. For the true music lover, the mood, space and vibe of a song can only be enjoyed in some form of an isolated environment where the sound of cars and trucks passing by, train station announcements and people rambling like bees is of no hindrance. It’s not that I’m going to discard the use of the MP3 format entirely, but I truly believe that in order to have a good audio experience, a matchbox sized player just doesn’t cut it.

2. 2. So if I’m “all that” about enjoying music, why not just listen to the audio CD? As I mentioned earlier, the FLAC format acts as a compressor to the original wave file, without sacrificing the dynamic range of the said file. It’s actually having the same wave quality audio in a smaller size. That’s definitely a plus for me. Even the highest bitrate MP3 format has stripped down the audio to a “simpler” format. Other than that, my main reason in using this format is for storage purposes where the same audio quality of my favorite CD’s can be stored as data in a DVD. While most of my music in my desktop is still in MP3, the CD’s that I really like are now in FLAC format. Let’s not grumble about the FLAC’s size issues. If you downloaders can afford to place gigabyte after gigabyte of compressed movie files in external hard disks, there’s no reason music lovers can’t do the same. By looking at the market price for external storage these days, it’s no cause for complaints.

Listening to the FLAC format and comparing it to a high bitrate MP3, it’s a no contest that the FLAC format has better dynamics and sounds bigger. After a few days of listening to only this format, the difference is quite drastic. Even in my simple desktop setup it’s apparent now that the MP3 sounds a lot thinner. For those unable to ‘feel’ the difference I would recommend converting your CDs to FLAC and listening to them repeatedly for a couple of days and then listen to the same CD in MP3 format. If you still can’t hear the difference, then my best explanation is that your probably a victim of the non-dynamic and all loud culture of the Loudness Wars. Now that’s another topic entirely.

We're the 5th friendliest

2009-12-26T22:07:00.006+08:00

An article in Yahoo! Travel showed a research conducted by HSBC Bank indicating Malaysia as one of the top 5 friendliest nations in the world. The friendliest country went to Bahrain, however the article mentions that only 31 out of more than 450 expats took part in the Bahrain survey. The main criteria was generally based on the ease of the expats and their families in setting up their new lives in the said nation.

But we're number 5?.I didn't know we were that easy to get into..

Click Me

Wait..actually..I think I did know..

P/S: I just noticed that it's hard to find the comments area on this blog template. For those wanting to do so, you can click on the number next to word "comment" at the very top, under the title of each post.

The Return

2009-12-23T02:23:00.004+08:00

It's been quite some time since my last post. I've been very busy with a truckload of stuff, mainly the business me and my fiance are in. Things are going good so far. A little update:

Just bought a new computer which is actually intended for office use but is currently parked and kept running (or is test-drive the better term for it?) in my room. I got tired of the old desktop (it kept acting up with one problem after another) and decided to take out the old hard disk (lot's of my goodies are still in there) and throw out the rest. It's pretty much outdated anyways so I figured there's no use to either repair or make it collect dust in my room. The new one however is obviously far superior and is keeping me occupied so far, i.e. experimenting with softwares which were way too heavy to use in the predecessor due to its inability to carry such load...A little note, once this PC is placed in the office, I'm planning on buying another for my permanent home use.

Too tired and sleepy to make any long or useful entry. More will come soon.

P/S: I recently found an old Seal album.The one which is self-titled, released in 1994. It was in a box of old CD's under my bed. I remembered it being bought by my dad by some mail order service back when we were in the states. Had a listen and realized that I actually like it!...Aside from the ever too familiar track "Kiss From A Rose"(Batman Forever soundtrack back when Nicole Kidman was still hot which did nothing whatsoever to improve the quality of the movie), other tracks were also quite awesome. I guess I just couldn't figure it out before because of my age...am I agreeing to the fact that I'm actually older now?...damn...

New Template

2009-09-09T20:52:00.003+08:00

Yeah..will go with this one for now. Lovin' it.

Tremolo Arm(s)

2009-09-01T16:05:00.004+08:00

Got rid of a whole bunch of old and useless stuff yesterday while cleaning out my room. Finally decided to throw out an old ripped off guitar gig bag. While I was checking the side pockets of the bag to see what was left inside before I chucked it, I found another guitar strap from my first electric guitar (the kind with bright colors similar to that of Carlos Santana's..the strap that is, not the guitar) and, what do you know, the missing tremolo arm from my Ibanez!..So that's where I left it. So now I have 2. Cool.

Was so excited that I posted the discovery on my Facebook status. Consequently this guy I know from the uni days asked if he could have the extra. I replied in the most subtle manner which indirectly implied-Not a chance-. That piece of metal is just too expensive to give away. And he's probably the last person on earth I'd give it to.Go buy your own sucka. Cheapskate..

Russell Curtis' Band

2009-08-25T13:50:00.006+08:00

Here's a video of Russell and the band from a wedding gig not so long ago. I've played with the drummer (Cin) and bassist (Zaim) on a different show. You can watch these guys perform at Quattro Avenue K on Wednesdays and Fridays. Whenever I come to see them perform, I'm usually asked to jam a few songs with them. This is their version of 'My Girl". Cool stuff.

Situasi Skarang (bukan lagu bunkface)

2009-08-13T22:55:00.008+08:00

Woh.. Lama betul dah tak update blog. Sekadar nak tulis sesuatu. Ada satu hari tu aku keluar dengan tunang kat kedai kasut di The Curve. Kemudian ada satu couple ni sedang nak try kasut. Si girlfriend cuba satu kasut dan tunjuk pada boyfriend dia dan tanya.."Situasi?..situasi tak?.."
Si boyfriend kemudian tengok ke arah kasut dan jawab dengan penuh approval..."Situasi.."
Aku tengok dengan perasaan penuh jelik lagi meluat. Dalam kepala aku, aku sedang meng karate leher pasangan tadi di atas kesengalan yang amat sangat.Dalam kepala je la. Lagu Bunkface nak dijadikan culture?..Come on lah..tak sekolah ke?

Pigi dah..

***

Bergerak kepada topik yang lain. Aku kehilangan tremolo arm untuk guitar Ibanez RG1570 sekitar sebulan yang lalu. Rasanya hilang masa time practice di Audiomass Studio waktu rehearsal untuk show di Melaka. Apapun, baru-baru ni tunang aku dengan baik hatinya mensponsor replacement untuk tremolo arm tersebut yang kami beli di Bentley Mutiara Damansara.Jadi guitar aku kembali lengkap sekarang. By the way,parts (malah segala barang yang dijual) di sana sangat mahal. Kalau aku tahu tempat lain nak beli barang tu, memang aku tak hingin nak ke sana. Lahanat punya kedai.

Malaysian banks to increase interest rates on non-national car loans.

2009-04-20T09:51:00.004+08:00

A report in the Star newspaper today mentioned that several banks here are increasing interest rates on non-national car loans despite the current economic situation.

The hikes, expected to be made in tiers were made for the probable indication that non- performing loan rates in the automotive sector have recently increased. A somewhat silver lining to the situation for the prospective non-national car buyers however is that the rates could be reduced for shorter term loans.

The hikes could also place an impact for interest rates of national cars where it was reported that we could expect a reduction on the same.

I’m thinking that it could be a good thing that the car rates aren’t linked with the BLR rates. Imagine having to pay with ridiculous interest rates on old cars. Though there are pros and cons to the view. But hey, doesn’t look like I’m getting a new car anytime soon so happy hunting to those who are.

Batik

2009-04-02T10:22:00.001+08:00

Hari ini aku pakai baju batik pergi kerja. Sempena hari Khamis yang digalakkan memakainya di tempat kerja aku. Masuk-masuk pejabat semua orang pandang dan bersorak riang tengok gaya aku yang luar biasa pakaiannya hari ni. Aku sengih saja gaya kontrol macho la konon.

Pertama kali aku pakai batik pergi kerja. Teringat kali terakhir aku pakai baju batik masa minggu ta’aruf di UIA dulu. Lepas je minggu tu, baju batik tu terus aku lontar ke mana ntah. Jiwa protes la konon masa tu.

Baju ni sebenarnya dibelikan oleh tunang aku masa pameran Kraf Kebangsaan baru-baru ni dari Bro Lan. Tauke “Pucuk Rebung”. Pakaian yang dia design memang menarik. Aku yang tak berapa nak pakai batik ni pun akhirnya minat jugak. Mungkin sebab cutting-nya yang ala rock sedikit. Disebabkan dia design sendiri, stail yang aku pakai ni cuma ada satu. Aku sebenarnya lebih berkenan pada stail seluar yang bro Lan pakai hari tu. Teringin rasanya nak pakai seluar potongan ala capoeira (paranawei) tapi dia tak jual hari tu. Dia punya stok ada di Penang sana. Aduss…

Kenapa tak ada gambar baju tu?..Sebab aku punya wayar untuk transfer gambar dari camera phone aku ada di rumah..dan aku tengah tulis blog ni di tempat kerja…eheh…

Bla Bla Bla

2009-03-31T09:50:00.003+08:00

Just came back from (a useless 3 days and 2 nights free trip) compulsory 3-day course in Johor Bharu on Sunday. Good stuff. It was a (total waste of time and money) way for the powers that be to (propagate petty and mundane issues) tell us employees to improve in the banking sector thus giving a positive chain reaction to the local economy. Will definitely (have no effect on me whatsoever since it was so lame and unprofessionally done, equivalent to that of a secondary school motivational program) improve my work ethics in the days to come. Go go power rangers..

The Not To Watchmen

2009-03-18T13:40:00.003+08:00

Went to see watchmen with my fiance sometime last week. The movie version of the heroes and special effects were good. But this is our overall rating for it.

Enough said...

A Night at the Movies & Raccoon City.

2009-03-10T11:11:00.005+08:00

After several failed attempts at getting tickets, I finally went out to see Slumdog Millionaire with my fiancé last night. A good movie indeed. It was quite a surprise for me as I was expecting a more westernized storytelling. It usually has that affect once an outsider takes charge. I was expecting somewhat of a “City of Joy” feel but it seems that the Bollywood nature of it all remained intact. Even though done only once at the end of the movie and on a much smaller scale, a singing and dancing scene with hundreds of backup dancers (an integral part of any Bollywood flick) had completed the Indian feel of the movie.

….

A few nights earlier I was on the way to dinner with my fiance somewhere in the Jalan Kuching area. We were driving along a housing area when something that looked like a cat crossed the street. It had a weird body shape and an unbelievably long and fluffy tail for a cat though. We stopped by the roadside and took a closer look from inside the car. Two reasons for this. One, getting out of the car to take a look at some cat would be pretty much pointless, plus we would most probably scare it away. Two, well actually there is no two. I just thought that in movies, being too brave and curious towards unknown creatures would just start some ugly plot to a bad storyline.

Anyways, after a closer look, my fiance yelled “..raccoon!..raccoon!!..” and in fact, it was. With the dark circle around the eyes and everything. My last encounter with a raccoon was back in Michigan when the creature had jumped out of a large trashcan after I threw the garbage inside. My fiance got her camera out of her bag ( how convenient?..) and started to switch it on. I immediately lowered the window on her side but was suddenly stopped by her telling me that the sound might scare it away. So it was a quarter of a way down, my fiance still trying to turn the bloody camera on, and we had this little debate on how I felt that the mirror would reflect the flash from the camera and all she would get is a blur while she felt that the sound from lowering the window would scare it away. Meanwhile the raccoon sort of just stood there looking at us. I bet it was thinking “come on..take the picture already..I’ve got places to be..” A few seconds after it just gave up on us and ran inside a gutter. I was just struck with awe and thought, “damn..we got raccoons in KL?...”

Warna & Senayan

2009-02-23T14:45:00.005+08:00

Semalam aku rasa terpanggil untuk membuka balik salah satu artwork yang pernah aku mulakan kira-kira setahun lalu. Artwork Supergirl hasil lukisan Filipe Aguiar. Aku ternampak lukisan tu dalam website Deviant Art. Aku rasa-rasa macam nak warna lalu terus aku mintak dari dia melaui e-mail. Tak lama lepas tu dia pun hantar la artwork tu pada aku..(nasib baik dia layan).

Benda tu ditangguhkan sekian lama sebab tahun lepas aku sibuk dengan kerja-kerja comic flatting dengan Joel Seguin dan juga recording album guitar aku(yang masih belum siap mixing dan mastering oleh Rafik). Jadi selain kerja, masa untuk mewarna secara suka-suka tu memang tak ada. Bila aku buka balik fail tu semalam entah macam mana terus aku warnakan sampai habis. Dah lama betul aku tak warna. Jadi inilah hasilnya…

…..
Terjumpa satu blog ni yang membicarakan tentang hari Isnin yang sering jatuh pada nombor tercorot dalam senarai Hari Yang Paling Tidak Disukai. Satu pandangan yang menarik dan mendapat sokongan dari aku sebagai salah seorang umat yang juga fobia bila hari Isnin tiba. Aku pun rasa bukan hari yang jadi masalah, tapi apa yang dilakukan pada hari tersebut. Penghijrahan itu perlu aku rasa. Terutamanya dalam situasi aku sekarang ni.

Kuantan Wedding Part 2

2009-02-01T11:42:00.026+08:00

So here's the second part of the Kuantan Wedding post. Sharuz sms'ed yesterday confirming about my email and sent the links to all the wedding photos. Checked them out this morning and picked a few to be posted here.

The one above is where I mentioned in my previous post. We had just arrived to my cousin Suhana's place and went up to her room to take a picture with her. This was before the akad nikah ceremony so we figured we'd just go up there and take some shots while we had the chance. I was so tired from the long drive...

This was right before the akad nikah. The groom is the one in white on the far left. I bet he's really nervous. Notice me in the background by the door standing next to Syawal.

The ones below were taken on the next day, at a hall near Batu Hitam beach.

This is my Pak Lang (my uncle) with his grandson (my nephew) Muammar..

Muammar literally following grandpa's footsteps..."so it's left foot out then right...right grandpa?.."

This was taken either by Syawal or Sham before the wedding ceremony...Something really had us going there..

More pics before the wedding...

Jeling-jeling...

The one below is also before everything started.We had the option to eat first before the guests arrived. So some of us did just that.

Sharuz explaining advanced calculus to Syawal and my brother...NOT!

Coming soon... ;p

I somehow landed as one of the welcoming committees. This is me, my sister, my folks, and Sharuz'z mom (Mak Itam)...

My fiance however had somehow landed as one of the additional flower girls..Probably because she was wearing pink. Sat right up on stage by the bride and groom..

During the the kenduri, everyone was all over the place...Here's (from left) Syawal, Sham and my brother Fadzuan...

Somewhere near the end of the ceremony when the guests had almost cleared, it was the family's turn to take photos with the bride and groom.So every family took turns..

My whole family and my fiance with the pengantin...

(Below)My family and Suhana's parents finishing off the pengantin's food... It's common practice that the bride and groom never really eat the food especially served for them..So Suhana's dad(sitting next to me in pink) called us over and basically said..."let's finish all this good food..." I jumped at the chance...

Yeah..good food..quail's eggs..I'll have some of that...

All you can eat folks..dig in...

While I was eating, my fiance was at another table with Pak Lang and family..waiting for me to bring some of the food over.The one on the right in purple is my youngest uncle. We played cards until 4am with Sharuz and my fiance the night before...Note to self, never play cards with someone with a maths major...

This is me coming in later to bring some of the pengantin's food to share with my fiance...

After that, we came back for more!..This time even the newly weds joined...I was still aiming at the chicken...hehe...

Later we all just sat together and talked and joked about things..Everyone was full and tired.Everything went well.Luckily it was done via catering services so we didn't have to do the cleaning after...

"Habis dimakan monyet..."

This is me and Sharuz just lounging near the stage after being full. I was trying to sell off my sister's phone ;p

Sharuz: Errkk...kenyang siot..rasa nak terkeluar balik...
Me: Tula...makan rilek2 la brader...

Me: Last pose brader..last pose...
Sharuz : Cepat sket siot..nak terkeluar sangat dah nie...

Kuantan Wedding Part 1 & Trip to Lumut

2009-01-30T11:10:00.022+08:00

Back from my long holiday trip yesterday. Got loads of pics and stories to share. So here we go.

The first trip was to my cousin’s wedding in Kuantan, Pahang . The “akad nikah” ceremony was held on Saturday night. I went with my fiance while my folks and the rest of the family went ahead in a separate car. My dad whom had gone ahead earlier called and reminded to expect very heavy traffic on the way. I was at the auto shop servicing my car at the time and thought that it should clear up by noon. After picking up my fiance at her place, we headed for the highway.. .

The traffic at the highway from KL was a nightmare!…It was a crawl all the way up to Lanchang!…We forgot to take any shots while we were stuck in the crawl (probably because we were so pissed) but my fiance took pics of some cloud formations after the traffic had cleared.

The one on the far left looks like a fat baby flying...siapa tak nampak...pendek umor

I think this was when it the traffic immediately cleared

This one looks like cotton candies...

Come to think of it, they all look like cotton candy...

We had our lunch at a rest area in Temerloh at 5pm..Didn’t stop earlier because other rest areas were so packed.

We finally got to Kuantan by 6pm. Everyone else was already there. Everyone asked what took us so long..and the same answer was repeated several times.. *sigh*

All of the photos that night were taken by me using my fiancés camera and lots more by my other cousin Sharuz. So none were taken using my phone’s camera. Will post them up once I get the links…I think there’s one pic where me and my fiance took with the bride (my cousin) right before the ceremony. Will post that one as well soon.

The next day was the “bersanding”. It was held at a hall somewhere in the Batu Hitam area. I only took pictures of the ones close to me on that day. Everybody else was just all over the place. Again the main pictures were taken by Sharuz. The ones below were taken by me and my fiancé via my Samsung phone. Didn’t take much because couldn’t rely much on the phone. Got to introduce my fiance to some more distant relatives here. An aunt of mine was also pointing out who’s who to my fiance once the guests arrived.

Forgot to bring my songkok...The one in blue in the background is Sharuz..taking some practice shots before the ceremony starts..

Yang posing cantik ni is my fiance...the one next to her in blue is Pak Lang (my uncle)...busy talking to his food...

From left; my cousins..the brothers Syawal and Sham..this was taken before the kenduri...we didn't know what to do so we just hung around...

My fiance doing another one of her pose...

Everything was over by about 4pm. Later that evening my fiance and I went to the beach for a little walk. Didn’t know that it would be so windy. Pics taken using the phone. All blurry and fun..

What are you looking at?...

See me pose...

See me running from the tide immediately after...

That night the newly weds opened their presents..(NO...I’m talking about the actual presents in boxes…what were you thinking?) I sat in the corner with my fiance.. (avoiding the line of fire)

We headed back to KL on Monday.

.......

On Tuesday, we straightaway headed for Lumut for a family retreat. Nothing was actually planned. It was just to hang out and eat seafood. Lots of monkeys here in Lumut.

Showing off his goods...no one was interested...

Still no takers..better luck next time...flashers are freaky dude...

View of the pool from our balcony at the resort...

View of the sunset from the seafood place..This was taken on the first day.

Another view of the sunset...

This was on the second evening..had some fruit juice...

Grilled fish...

Fried rice, butter fried prawns...

..and some more fried calamari..I hesitated at first thinking what happened the last time I had this dish...but gobbled everything immediately after...

View of the small town of Lumut from the bazaar...

The second day we took a walk at a mangrove area. More monkeys here.

" Of course I do all my own stunts..."

This lady's a bit camera shy...

These next few photos were taken by my sister using her Nokia (can't remember the model). We have never been this close to a wild monkey before. Observe this step by step easy to follow method.

How to Peel a Fruit, The Monkey Way

Step 1 : Take your fruit handed to you by the giddy and excited city tourist. Don't forget to say thank you. After sniffing to check if it's good, start peeling the skin using your nails...

Step 2 : Continue peeling the rest of the skin, checking to see if there's any bad worms. Pay no attention whatsoever to the people gawking and taking pictures of you.Concentrate on the fruit and the fruit only...

Step 3 : Once peeled, start eating. Don't forget to look at the camera and be cute...wait a minute..don't I know you from somewhere?...something about those eyes....hmmm...

The mangrove walk then led to a view of the river...

This was the end of it..we turned around and headed back...

That’s it...had loads of fun…Will post the wedding photos once I get them from Sharuz…

Peace…

Other People's Blogs

2009-01-23T16:33:00.004+08:00

I've had the opportunity to read blogs by our very own Malaysians these few days. Been wanting to be followers of the some of the said blogs,unfortunately some of them don't put up that little gadget thingamajig on the side bar where you can opt to become followers. I could do it the old fashion way by putting their links up on my side bar..but oh so malas untuk make links and adjustments today.

But did find a couple that have the sidebar options though. The other ones, later2 lah...

....

Will be off to Kuantan this weekend for my cousin's wedding. So expect some kenduri pics on the next post. My fiance will be coming along. I can definitely guarantee questions being shot at us with the likes of "..yang ni bila lagi..?"..and what not. The best and proper response for now is to just smile and wave boys...smile and wave...

Time to go off from the office and start the long vacation. Happy CNY...

Peace...

The last few days

2009-01-20T12:21:00.002+08:00

My fiancé and I went out to have dinner with Saiful and his girlfriend last Friday. We finally were able to get together after months of cancellations due to busy schedules. Saiful took us for a treat at Italiannies in One Utama. Good stuff.

We updated each other on things, exchanged infos on friends whom we haven’t had any contact with, showed a picture of another friend’s first baby boy of which me and my fiance “aawwhh”ed at. Forgot to take any pics for the event though. Too busy talking I suppose.

Planning to treat him and his girlfriend for dinner some time soon.

……

Had diarrhea on Sunday after eating too much of fried calamari my parents bought from Terengganu. No pics needed to show how it came out.

…..

Hung out with my fiancé at Cin’s studio last night. Had dinner there, watched an Indonesian horror movie, and listened to some stuff Cin’s working on for his client. Cin also asked if I wanted to lay some guitar tracks for another project. I agreed, and he said we’ll talk details later.

Random stuff

2009-01-15T13:14:00.006+08:00

Haven’t posted anything for some time...nothing too interesting or useful to post. But I felt like blogging anyway so here’s some stuff…

I just found out that the virtuoso guitarist/pianist Tony MacAlpine’s got a new album. Well it’s not really that new. Was out OCTOBER LAST YEAR. Worked with fellow Steve Vai bandmates Billy Sheehan and Virgil Donati on this one. Check out the interview -->HERE.

I only have one of his albums, “Maximum Security” which was made when he was under Shrapnel Records years ago. It was during the Marty Friedman/Jason Becker era. Breakneck speed stuff. Will look for this one now that I’m aware of it.

…………

After the Imran Ajmain Showcase, Rafik shared some stuff by the British jazz/funk/soul band Incognito. Told me one of his favorites is “Still A Friend of Mine” from the album Positivity . Got to listen to some other songs too and decided that I favored “Misunderstood” from “Beneath the Surface”.

………..

Decided to check out my Deviant Art page. Can’t remember the last time I opened it. Saw some new comments for an artwork of Batman and Robin (by Jonathan Racimo) that I colored back in 2007. People still think it’s awesome. I think I colored this using a mouse back when I didn’t have a tablet. Whaddayaknow…

Imran Ajmain : Punca dan Persembahan

2008-12-31T13:07:00.004+08:00

The players : from left to right ; Cin (drums), Eugene (bass), Imran Ajmain(vocals & jokes), Shazee(guest musician on sax), yours truly (guitars) and Rafik(keyboards).

It all started about two weeks ago when I sms’ed Rafik to ask about the status of my songs, where he apologized for being too busy with shows and promised that he’d find time for us to set up a meeting. I didn’t mind, knowing that he’s always busy. So I told him that if whenever he needed a guitarist to give me a holler. He immediately replied saying that he actually needed a guitarist for an upcoming project. I was game. He called me up seconds later and gave the details for the show. It was for Imran Ajmain and was to be held at the Annexe (right behind Central Market) in K.L. Guest performance was by the group Infinatez, and Atilia (yup, as in Atilia and the Phunk Mobs).

We met with the rest of the band the next night (Sunday night I think) and discussed further details. Here’s where I got to know Cin, who was going to be on drums and Eugene, on bass, besides Rafik of course, on the keyboard. So we discussed, listened to the songs(15 in all, but Rafik had to play a few more songs later on with Imran and Infinatez…all of which was to be learned in 5 days). We were given the CD of the songs and it was all I listened to all week. We had about 4 rehearsals, the final one with just the band members on the night before the show which lasted until 5.30am. The rest was just awesome.

The showcase was on the 21st of December. Here are some links to the multimedia. Cool stuff.

Here’s a post on Imran’s blog during rehearsals at Cin’s studio
http://imranajmain.com/2008/12/on-punca-persembahan-the-rehearsal/

Hundreds more here during the show from Imran’s Picasa photo album..
http://picasaweb.google.com/ajmain.imran/PuncaPersembahan21122008#

Here’s a video link for one of the songs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoteY6lPrxE

My special thanks to my fiance and friends who came to see the show (you know who you are..hehee).

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On a different note, my friend Dic has started his own blog! Cool! Sorry bro for not noticing earlier, and congratulations on being the first(and only) follower of my blog.

Check out Dic's blog HERE.

Last Song...Last Song...

2008-11-20T11:53:00.003+08:00

I’m still waiting for my sound engineer to set up a meeting for the last song to be sent in and worked on. He told me that he’ll inform me as soon as possible. I’m guessing it’ll be sometime next week. No worries. Gives me time to listen to the song again and and tweak any last minute changes. I’ll be on a working trip until Tuesday so I guess I’ll have to meet him sometime after that.

……

Found a scrumptious picture of some sweet-spicy glazed salmon at Sidewalkshoes’ blog . Got me hungry all of a sudden. Damn…

Some songwriting stuff

2008-11-19T11:43:00.007+08:00

I was reading Neil Gaiman’s blog this morning and in one of his previous posts, he mentioned about an interesting blog about songwriting by Rosanne Cash.

Checked that out and found that it was quite informative, even though the issue that she’s been dealing with are of the ‘music and lyrics’ nature, I find that I could somehow relate to it even though my area of composition at the moment mainly resides around the ‘melody or chords’ point of view.

Browsed about in the same blog and found another article written by Andrew Bird where he shares his knowledge about recording at a studio in Chicago. Good stuff. Especially if you’re a real studio gear geek. A fresh air for the digitally inclined like me.

There’s this other new blog called JomWarung. It’s for a show with the same name that will be aired soon on ASTRO PRIMA here in Malaysia about good food stalls and eateries in town. I don’t know when it will be aired but it will be hosted by Farouk Hussain and Azrul Zaidi. Looking forward to it…

...

On a different note, here's a blog with information on getting backlinks. Very helpful stuff.

Check it out here---LinkBackLink

Album Update 2008 : Of long tracks and missing drums.

2008-11-11T11:31:00.004+08:00

After an extended hiatus, my long overdue album project is finally showing good signs. Long and careful thought has been put into it and I’ve finally decided to have six songs in the album. Financial circumstances as being one of the main reasons for this.

Out of about 10 to 12 songs that were written, the best 6 were chosen and recorded and in some instances re-recorded for the album. As to date, 5 completed songs are already with my sound engineer to be mixed while a meeting will be made some time this week to hand in the last song. This one particularly needed special attention mainly due to its duration. Co-written with my good friend and bassist, Syafiq Mohamad, it’s a whopping nine-minute song with several different…movements (if you want to call it that). As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the main riff and outline for this song was written several years back while we were in campus. None of it was ever recorded as we thought it needed more umph and better equipment to record with. Furthermore the idea of going as far as recording something that long and serious didn’t occur to us at the time as we were still students with barely any dough to even start with. While recording on other songs for the album we brought up the idea of putting this one big and long song which we started years ago. Not long after, a quick demo was made as a blueprint for the song. Syafiq had finished the bass parts for the demo and later sent me a CD of the ‘completed’ demo, which at that point had the running time of about a little over 8 minutes.

Months passed and we recorded other songs first. Due to our busy schedule, the bass parts for the final version of our ‘long song’ couldn’t be completed at Syafiq’s place. So I went on to record the bass parts on my own at my little home studio.

Due to the long break from recording, some of the drum tracks for several songs went missing.Something that you do not want happening to any of your songs: - nothing comes out from the drum tracks, or worst, the drum files can't be opened at all! This was a result either from computer formatting on my behalf and/or virus attacks on Syafiq’s PC. I think only the drum tracks for 4 songs were recovered, while the other two will have to be done again. Even thinking about doing the drum tracks for the songs again (after so long) and furthermore for that long song seemed like a nightmare. So I discussed with my sound engineer and we agreed that he’d track some fresh drums for the 2 songs..Phew!…

I’m just itching to give out titles for the songs but I think I’ll keep it on hold at least until I have the master copy…

If Women Controlled the World

2008-10-10T11:52:00.003+08:00

This is kinda cool..Got an email from a friend of mine sending pictures with the title If Women Controlled the World. So typically awesome…

The Essential Things Every Wannabe Electric Guitarist Should Know

2008-09-02T13:32:00.001+08:00

Playing a musical instrument can be one of the most exciting things for anyone. It is not only satisfying but also lucrative as a career. Although each instrument has its own charm and significance, guitar seems to be one of the most popular choices of all time. For any guitar lover, it must be a treat to watch a person playing guitar and its tune and rhythm is simply overwhelming.

However, it takes a long time for a guitarist to master the art of playing guitar so well. If you ask any guitarist about their preference on the sound of guitars, their unequivocal answer would be electric guitar. Over the years, the popularity of electric guitars has gone up and so has their sale. Even though you have been playing acoustic guitar for some time now, you will need proper guidance while buying an electric guitar.

Take a look at the following points before you hit an electric guitar store:

Budget:

The prices of electric guitars would start from $300 and upward. If you have a shoe-string budget, chances are that you won`t find high-end guitars such as Guild Benedetto Signature Model or Paul Reed Smith Santana II. However, the good news is, due to the computer aided woodworking equipments, even low-end electric guitars sound almost as well as their high-end counterparts.

Types of Electric Guitar:

Electric Guitars can be found in different depending on their body. Most electric guitars are made up of solid wood such as Alder, Ash, Mahogany and Basswood. Semi-hollow instruments such as Gibson`s ES-335 are popular because of their thinness and lightweight. On the other hands, there are electric guitars such as Gretsch Black Falcon which a true hollow-body and f-holes allowing the user to tune the guitar to resonate sounds as well as the acoustic guitars do.

Types of Music:

Whether you would want to buy a Gibson ES-5 or Fender Telecaster depends purely on what music you play most of the time. For instance, if you belong to a country band, you should choose an electric guitar that produces cleaner and brighter twang. Hence, you can pick a Stratocaster or Fender Telecaster to do justice to your county band. On the other hand, go for the Paul Reed Smith McCarty Hollowbody II if you are playing music in a jazz setting.

Number of Pick-ups:

Usually, modern electric guitars can be found in two different pick-ups such as single coils and humbuckers. While single coils will sound brighter with a pronounced attack, humbuckers will produce a warmer and darker tone. Some electric guitars can also have mix pick-ups. Guitars having more pick-ups will produce more tonal variations.

Electronics:

All standard electric guitars have a basic set of pick-up selector switch, volume and tone controls. Instruments such as the Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster have an added feature which allows the player to adjust the warmer and flatter sound of the humbucker. There are also hybrid electric guitars such as synth guitar which are fitted with additional hardware for connecting them to a synth via a 13-pin RMC system. Electric guitar manufacturers are now putting more emphasis on guitars playability than their aesthetics.

Appearance:

The looks of electric guitars would vary greatly and it actually depends on you preference. Guitarists who are into death metal would hardly like a Fender Telecaster with a shell pink finish. Hence, now-a-days, electric guitar manufacturing companies produce guitars that are genre-specific.

Frets:

Many buyers do not care much about the frets; however, they are curial to the playability of electric guitars. For instance, electric guitars with smooth and playable neck will allow you to do hammer-on and pull-offs, bend notes, and deliver clean articulations at any positions of the neck. If the frets are tailored perfectly, the electric guitars will offer a superlative performance.

This article can be accessed in portuguese from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/instrumentos-musicais.php

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br

50 Blues Guitar Backing Tracks and Lessons

How To Play Power Chords by JONATHAN DYKERMAN

2008-08-31T21:54:00.002+08:00

Ok. So you have your electric guitar, your plugged in to your distortion pedal going into your amp on the highest volume setting possible, but your still not sure how to rock the bejeezus out of it. Well the answer is with power chords.

A power chord is a very simply chord. Most guitarists are used to playing these big chords that use every guitar string, but power chords on the other hand only use 2 or 3 strings. But the great thing about power chords is not that they are easy to play, but how great they sound when playing loud with distortion. Go ahead and play any of those open position chords that use all 6 strings you first learn when beginning to play the guitar. On an acoustic guitar or a clean electric signal they sound great, but once you turn up the distortion, unless you have a perfectly tuned guitar, will sound HORRIBLE. Power chords, on the other hand, will sound kind of dull and boring on an acoustic guitar or clean electric signal but with distortion they sound unbelievable.

So What Exactly Is A Power Chord? (Warning, Contains Some Theory)

A simple major chord is built from the 1st, 3rd and 5th degree of a major scale. A power chord is the same as a simple major chord but the 3rd degree is taken out, leaving just the 1st and 5th degree. Why you ask? Well I’ll try to make is as simplistic as I can. A note is basically just a sound wave that vibrates at a certain frequency. In the case of a power chord, you have two notes vibrating at two different frequencies, but those two frequencies have a stable relationship. When you add the 3rd degree of a major chord you’re adding another frequency. Now the relationship between all three frequencies has become much more complex. The chord still sounds great on a clean sound, but unfortunately when you add distortion, the distortion seems to magnify the differences between those frequencies. The end result is this huge wobbling sound that just turns the ear off. But power chords don’t have this wobbling effect which makes them so useful when playing with distortion.

How To Play Power Chords

Power chords are really simple to play. Start by playing any note on the Low E string of the guitar with your 1st finger. Then play the next string up (in this case the A string), but 2 frets higher on the neck with your 3rd finger. That’s it. This is the infamous power chord. Do you even want a more beefy sound? Add a note on the next string up (in this case the D string) on the same fret as the previous string with your 4th finger. You can use these two shapes anywhere’s on the neck on the first 3 strings or the next set of 3 strings. The root of these shapes is always the bottom note, so if you want to play a G power chord, place your 1st finger on the 3rd fret, 6th string; your 3rd finger on the 5th fret, 5th string; and your 4th finger on the 5th fret, 4th string.

Power chords are extremely easy to play but they are also extremely useful to use especially if you are the type of guitar player that loves playing loud and loves playing with distortion. With just one shape you can play any power chord in any key anywhere’s on the neck with the root on either the 6th or 5th string. Some people make out music to be hard, but power chords are really that simple. Jonathan Dykerman is a professional guitar player and instructor. For more information on power chords please visit Guitarwarp.com. This article may be reprinted providing this resource box is included. Copyright 2008.

50 Blues Guitar Backing Tracks & Lessons

Guitar Lessons Checklist by JOHN MARCHIONNE

2008-08-28T09:15:00.003+08:00

In my article about guitar lessons appropriately titled “Guitar Lessons” I discussed the rash of inappropriate guitar teachers out there just waiting to rip you off. The bright side was I also discussed how to find a good one, an increasingly more and more difficult task. So read that article first, and then, when you've done all that I ask of you and you, think you found a good teacher, star the lessons. Keep in mind that after while, you should check for the following, to assure you've made the right choice. Not doing this good cost you months, or even years, of waisted lessons. But first, what is the following? Well it's a check list of where your child or yourself, should be in respect to the amount of time spent with that teacher. Now of course that's not to say that this is an exact time line. Lets not forget, we must factor in devotion, talent, and time spent practicing, a huge factor, by the way, but thats another article. Look for “How to practice guitar.” In the first three to four weeks, there should be a marked improvement in the simple physical ability's of the student. What I mean by that is the way that the student is able to play note to note. He should be able to move more fluently, but not necessarily proficiently. Simply put it should no longer be a laborious task to move amongst the single notes you know how the play, which brings me to the next item on the list. How many notes should the student know how to play and read? Eight. Eight notes on three strings in the first position. The first position! What's the first position? Don't panic. It's simple. Allow me to explain. Positions on the guitar are dictated by which fret the first finger falls. Frets are the boxes on the front part of the neck of the guitar. If you position your hand so that your first finger falls on the first fret, (box) then you are in the first position. If it falls on the second fret, then you are in the second position. And so on. Now mind you, it is not necessary to teach all notes. Some of the frets will be skipped at this point. Don't worry, that is proper form. They will be brought back in to play later. That's the right way to teach it. You'll just have to trust me on this barring taking a series of music lessons from me. That'll cost you. This is free. Don't worry when junior says that he knows the first and second fret but not the second. That's actually the way I should be. On the first and second string anyway. So knowledge of eight notes in the first position, on the first three strings. On a guitar, the first three strings are the bottom three strings as you hold the guitar properly in a playing stance. The thinest ones. If your student has been at lessons for about a month he should be somewhere in this range. Our next check point fall about a month to six weeks later. About 10 to 12 lessons. OK, remember, good practicing habits must be applied. At least 10 minutes a day, 4 – 6 days a week. For this to work. Else, you cannot blame the teacher. Now at the 10 to 12 lesson point the student should be finished with the first position. Knowing all the notes on all the frets of all the six strings, frets 0 – 4 and usually, but not always, 5 on the first string. That includes the missing frets from before. The ability to move among these notes should now be fairly fluent. The student should also be able to tune the strings on the guitar without the help of an electronic tuner. There should be some decent ability to play chords. More then one note at a time; You know, strumming; Stroking all of the strings together. These are difficult to do. And changing from chord is the most difficult thing to do for beginners. So as long as there is some ability here. And some knowledge of the chord names, that'll do. Those are the basics. A good teacher, to help motivate the student, and keep them enjoying the process, will throw a few popular songs into the mix as well. Usually nothing to do with theory, just fun. A bad teacher will do this almost exclusively, teaching plenty of songs with no theory. Keeping student happy, and needing to coming back, “forever and ever an ever”. This is a waist of good money. The student will forever need someone to show him how to play a song instead of being able to figure tit out himself. Tabs don't count. That's another article, “Guitar tabs equals paint by numbers”. But learning some songs along the way for pleasure is quite appropriate. These will vary greatly depending on the tastes of the student and the teacher. They will include whole songs like “House of the rising sun” or “Dust in the wind”. Or they'll be famous sections or riffs like the opening to “Smoke on the water” or “Sweet home Alabama”. Usually a combination. Again these are all relative to taste. Alrighty then, let's break it down in list form:

4 to 6 weeks: · The ability to play and read in the vicinity of 8 notes on 3 strings · Decent fluent movement from note to note

10 to 12 weeks: · The ability to play and read all the notes in the first position (frets 0 – 4 on all six strings) · Ability to fluently move among these notes · Should be able to tune a guitar on his own · Should have some knowledge of basic chords an some ability to play them. · The ability to play songs or part of some songs is not unusual

Please remember this is not an exact science and there will be some deviation from this I'm sure. Use this as a guide and factor in the things like natural abilities of the student and practicing times, and judge whether or not the teacher is doing his or her job. Although it's often true, don't let the teacher try and blame the student, literally at least half the times it's the teachers fault. You know your child better then anyone if you think they would do better elsewhere, go, before your child looses interest from a bad learning experience. They rarely go back. Another problem might be that the teacher holds your child's interest but fails to accomplish anything substantial and you loose time and money. Let me also take the time here to discuss age. If the student is under the age of 9 these expectations are far to high. There are to many things to be considered at such a young age except to say that if the child is enjoying the lessons then there is no harm. But please, hold them to no standards at that age. Simply let them have fun.

John Marchionne is a professional musician and music instructor. He is owner and lead instructor at Ensemble School of Music at Boca Raton, FL. Visit his Website http://www.bocamusiclessons.com/

Acoustic Guitar Tablature - Is It Real Sheet Music? by RICKY SHARPLES

2008-08-23T10:19:00.001+08:00

As a beginner acoustic guitarist you're probably wondering whether learning your songs from guitar tablature is as good as getting them from "real" sheet music. Learning to play acoustic guitar is a great adventure which is sometimes spoilt a bit by the prospect of having to learn to read music. But for most acoustic guitar players, learning all the symbols and theory connected with musical notation is not really necessary.

Tablature for acoustic guitar has certain points giving it an edge over standard music notation. Actually historians tell us that tablature was used to record musical compositions long before conventional notation. They don't seem to have much idea how musicians attributed note values to compositions they has never heard played. Maybe it wasn't an issue in the sixteenth century.

So what do you learn from tabs? Tablature shows diagrammatically where finger positions are indicated using numbers representing the guitar's frets along horizontal lines representing the strings. The note G played on the first (thinnest) string is shown by the number 3 written on the top line of the tablature. Sometimes the person writing the tablature will group the notes together to show that they are all the same value but this is not a hard and fast rule.

Hammer-ons, string bends, pull-offs and other techniques are shown by symbols. Each tablature writer has his own idea of the best way to show how to play the music, and he usually includes a legend showing his symbols on each tab. With the aid of guitar tabs, you can learn new music quickly without going to the additional trouble of learning conventional music notation.

Despite the fact that tempo and time signatures are not included, sometimes it's easier for the guitarist to pick up music from tablature. The ease with which you can learn to read tablature means that your progress on the guitar is not slowed by the need to cope with such things as the use of alternate tunings.

Another bonus is in the ease in sharing acoustic guitar music on the internet. Guitar tab is easily written on a computer by way of ASCII code, which makes it easier to email or post on the web. Maybe when you get some guitar playing experience under your belt you could try writing some music down for yourself. A great chance to see the difficulties facing composers for the guitar. Unfortunately debate over copyright issues has made posting guitar tab a little bit contentious, but you can still share tab privately by email.

A lot of guitar teachers proclaim the virtues of learning to read sheet music. Some even think you are not a "real" musician unless you can read "real" music. If you have a burning desire to follow a career in music then the versatility given you by the ability to read music will be a definite advantage. But if you look at playing music as a way of each individual expressing themselves in their own unique way, then how you write your music down is not one of the biggest issues in your life!

Ricky Sharples has many more tips for guitar players of all levels at his blog Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free, a continuously updated directory of free guitar lessons, videos, chord charts and lots of useful guitar stuff.

Acoustic Guitar Lessons by RICKY SHARPLES

2008-08-21T17:37:00.001+08:00

These mini guitar lessons have been put together for the beginner acoustic guitar student who feels a need to play music but is a bit short on direction.

Lesson One - What kind of guitar are you going to buy? If you have a rough idea of what kind of music you want to play, the next step is to find yourself a guitar. Let's start with the basics - nylon string or steel string. A nylon string guitar was made to play classical and folk music.

Acoustic guitars make their music by sending the vibration of the strings to the soundboard. The vibrations are then amplified in the body of the guitar. Nylon string guitars make a mellow tone; steel string guitars make a brighter, more metallic sound. One of the main things that will influence you in deciding what kind of sound you want is the guitar your favorite performer plays.

If you are just starting out you will not need a top of the range guitar but it is best to get the nicest one in your price range. A cheap, poorly made guitar will be an uphill battle to play. A good instrument will make your practice sessions something to look forward to.

Try different guitars. See how the neck feels. Check out if one neck feels more comfortable to play than others. Another consideration is the distance of the strings from the fret board which is called the "action". Low action is easier to play but if you are planning on strumming enthusiastically or picking loudly the guitar may have a tendency to buzz.

Lesson Two - Go ahead and learn. The very first step toward learning to play acoustic guitar is to develop confidence and to overcome your natural reluctance to try new things. Lack of money, lack of time, or lack of a good teacher are three big obstacles to your guitar learning progress. The other three big obstacles are all you. You may be your own worst enemy. How do you react to a challenge? Challenges are your friends. If you find yourself getting frustrated, and not wanting to continue your practice, it might be time to downsize your goal, at least for a while. If you have two chords that you have trouble with, work on the first one alone for a while. Once you have improved a little, go to the next one.

Lesson Three - Daily Practice As far as your daily practice goes look at starting with half an hour a day. If you can do more, great, you'll become a guitarist faster. The way you carry out your practice is crucial. Putting in the time isn't the only requirement. If you rush or try to fit too much in, then you're working against yourself. Err on the side of too little material at first. If you really are accomplishing what you set out to do in less than thirty minutes, then add a little more.

Lesson Four - Tuning Your Guitar You can find online guitar tuners to help you get your acoustic guitar in tune. Take a day or two of your practice time to get the knack of tuning. When you start to develop an ear for tuning, try tuning the guitar without the tuner.

Lesson Five - Holding Your Acoustic Guitar Long hours of practice can take their toll. Learning how to sit and play your acoustic guitar is an art in itself. There are places on the internet that have illustrations showing you how to sit when you're playing, but it would be good to find somebody with a little experience to show you. But don't just go with the way one person plays. If he's self-taught, then you don't want to pick up his bad habits!

Why Play Bass Guitar? by DAVID WILSON

2008-08-20T13:18:00.003+08:00

Let's face it: most people don't even know what a bass is. While the venerable six string guitar is admired and respected by millions, the bass guitar is somewhat less glamorous. After all, you're not exactly standing out in the front, laying down hot licks and screaming solos. You're not even pounding away by playing chords. You're sitting in that sonic space below, forming the bridge between the drummer and the rest of the instrumentation.

Bassists are rarely the most popular members in their band. Overlooked by fans and critics alike, you might wonder why you should bother playing this seemingly unpopular instrument. After all, wasn't the whole point of starting rock band to get more girls? Why play bass when you can get more attention elsewhere?

The truth is, if you're really doing this for attention, don't play bass. Everything you've heard is absolutely right. With few exceptions, bass players do not get the attention. However, they do get to have tons of fun.

Let me explain. I said earlier that the bass forms the bridge between the rhythm sections (usually the drums) and the rest of the music. As a result, you're playing an absolutely critical role in a band. You form the beat, the pulse, the groove of the song. Without you, the band wouldn't sound nearly as good. This is an awesome responsibility, and the satisfaction you can get from providing this hard to describe until you've experienced it.

As the "god of the groove", you'll be surprised at how much your playing manipulates the audience. Your bass lines will be what makes people move. There's nothing quite as satisfying as looking at and seeing an entire crowd dancing and moving to the groove that you're laying down. No guitarist ever had it this good.

On the more practical side, bassists are always in demand, assuming you're skilled enough to lay down a rock solid groove. Since the more glamorous guitar draws more players, the supply of skilled bass players is much lower. This makes it easier to find a band that will be in need of your services. This is a nice perk, since you'll almost always be able to find work if you're good.

So, I hope this helps you see why playing the bass guitar can be such a rewarding experience. It doesn't put you front stage and center, but once you see that crowd moving to your groove, you'll realize that being in the spotlight is somewhat overrated.

David Wilson is the man behind Bass Gear Online, a site that helps you find the best bass gear deals on the internet. Visit to find great deals on everything from Fender bass guitars to bass guitar amps. Also, read great articles and gear tips.

Learning Guitar by ROBERT BELL

2008-08-19T12:41:00.001+08:00

Many of us think we would like to play guitar, but thinking about it and actually trying to do it are two very different things. You can choose a guitar to buy, but once you are holding this instrument in your hand it is difficult to know how to play it – or even how to hold it properly. The good news is that there are plenty of resources available to learn how to play guitar, and some don't even require that you leave the comfort of home to take advantage of them. There are many great websites that will teach you the basics of learning guitar so you can be strumming tunes before you ever even schedule your first private lesson.

The Basics The first step in learning guitar is to collect all of the necessary supplies. Of course, the guitar is the first component to this process, but you will also need a guitar pick and a willingness to learn this craft. Keep in mind that your fingers will get sore when you first begin, so take a break between sessions and know that the discomfort will go away the more you play. To make the first few lessons a little easier, keep your fingernails trimmed down to make it easier for you play the notes and strum the strings.

The next step will be to learn some basic guitar terms, so that when you go online to take your lessons you will understand what the virtual instructor is talking about. Strings are strung across the guitar, and these are the elements you will use to get sounds out of your instrument. Frets are the small metal bars that divide the neck of the guitar into sections. When you go higher on the frets, you will go higher on the sounds.

Finding an Online Tutor Once you've got the basics down, you can begin to shop for a video tutor that will get you started playing your instrument. The easiest way to find instruction is on the Internet, although you can find instructional DVD's as well. Some of the websites you find will be free, while others will charge you for the instruction. You will need to decide for yourself whether you can find quality instruction without paying for it.

Many of these websites will also offer you reviews of guitar products that will help you find the best equipment and software for your needs. When you do find the best online tutorial, make sure that you follow the process step by step to ensure that you don't miss any of the vital information in the early stages. Work at your own pace and make sure you completely master one lesson before you move onto the next. This will ensure your success in your guitar playing endeavor and help you make the most of your new hobby.
Guitar playing can be a fun pastime if you take the time to learn how to do it properly. With the right equipment and a good online tutorial, you will be strumming tunes in no time at all. Nathan is the creator of Guitar MySpace Layouts, featuring original guitar myspace layouts, graphics and icons.

Codename: Flatter

2008-07-08T11:56:00.001+08:00

The final page of Wolverine was flatted last night. Joel emailed me pages 7 to 10 earlier and we were hoping to get the last one from the inker last weekend because the deadline was supposed to be on Monday. Sunday night I emailed Joel asking about the last page, telling him that it would be impossible to meet the deadline if I were to get the page on Sunday night(Malaysian time). This was because of the 12 our difference, and that I had to be at work on Monday morning. So the earliest I could send the finished flats was on Monday noon(Canadian time), which was after I got off from work. Joel then replied saying that he’s still waiting for the last page from the inker and we would just finish the page whenever we got it. So last night he sent me the last page at around 9am Canadian time which was 9pm Malaysian time. Told him that I’d shoot him the page by midnight (Monday noon Canadian time). The page was done around 1am last night and was given to Joel straight away.

Next up, I’ll be flatting more Iron Man. Not sure if it’s Iron Man:Director of SHIELD #32 though. But Joel told me that we’re gonna have about 2 weeks to finish it off. Probably another 22 pages. Deadline’s by the 18th this month. Did the rush job before, no reason why I can’t do it again. Bottomline...KA-CHING!!..

Malaysian Flats Iron Man Comic

2008-07-03T00:57:00.002+08:00

That’s right. I’ve been wanting to document the events as they happened but was just too busy and tired. So here’s the story. Two weeks ago Joel Seguin informed me that Marvel had given him a coloring gig for Iron Man : Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #31. Joel then turned to me as his trusted flat colorist (blows own horns) to assist in the matter. Unbelievable. A dream come true for both of us for 2 reasons:

1.The pay per page is difinitely higher than our previous jobs,

2.Holy crap man!! This is frickin Marvel we’re talking about!! And a chance to get my hands on Iron Man pages BEFORE it gets out to the world!! Nothing short of awesome!

So here’s the lowdown. The book was going to be 22 pages and was to be done in 16 days. Which means I had to fork out about 2 to 3 pages worth of flat colors per day so that Joel could have enough time to do the rest. So Joel passes a few pages for me to start and having no color references whatsoever except knowing from my experience the colors of Iron Man’s armor, I flatted away using my own set of colors. Joel then passes some of the finished pages and I get to use them as color reference together with some reference pages from the previous issue which was done by someone else.

About one week later , Joel forwarded an email from the comic’s editor, saying an earlier instruction on the deadline was actually wrong. The pages had to be done latest by Friday in order for them to be printed and shipped. I almost flipped as I had about 4 pages to go and it was already Wednesday. The thing was that the pages were still incomplete even if I did my part as they had to be finished by Joel. So I stayed up late and managed to finish 3 pages in a single night and told Joel that the last one was going to be done on Thursday noon. Joel gave the all clear and told me that he’s been having 4 page days as well. Sent the final page with enough time for him to finish it up. The fastest 2 weeks of my life.

Next up, 11 more pages of Wolverine. I’m currently waiting for the final 4 pages which is to be done by this week. Wait a minute. I’m doing flats for Marvel now? Woohoo!!
Big deal? Well it is for me anyway.

Of Increments and New Oil Price

2008-06-06T10:44:00.003+08:00

I am in desperate need for a break from work. A co-worker is taking 2 weeks leave for her wedding and I’m taking over all of her matters in addition to my own. The boss has been taking a few days off so being the most ‘senior’; I’ll have to assume command. My friend’s wedding will be this Saturday and I’ll be taking Monday off as an extended weekend. Hoping today ends quickly and smoothly so I can breathe easy. With great increments comes greater headaches…and even ridiculously greater oil price hikes.

Audio Impaired

2008-05-26T10:48:00.002+08:00

It seems that my cell phone (otherwise known as handphones by Malaysians) has gone mute. Everything was fine until I realized I kept getting missed calls when the phone’s nearby without even noticing it. I checked the settings and everything seemed fine. Tried everything from changing the settings, turning it off and resetting the phone, and even banging the phone a couple of times. Still no sound.

The phone is about 5-6 years old and I think it’s high time to get a new one. I’m sure if I were to send it for repairs I would get the same advice considering that it’s an old and out dated model. Not that I’m against technology, it’s just that the phone serves all of my main purpose as it is. That and the fact that fancy phones with time-bending abilities just aren’t in my list of priorities. Nevertheless, it’s time for a new phone but I’ll have to survive with the call alert on vibrate mode until then.

Clues to the News

2008-05-24T23:20:00.004+08:00

Went out with my girlfriend today and we had sushi for lunch. Being addicted to the stuff, I just had to get my dose while passing by that famous sushi place after doing a little bit of shopping. My girlfriend who isn't a fan of the dish becomes a total sweetheart and obliges to my request. To my surprise, she now happens to like the salmon steak set.After several tries with the dish I'm starting to see that what she prefers is the really cooked stuff rather than the usual cold conveyor stuff that I live on.

After that we went to check out some roadshows for new housing projects. A little bit of future planning if you know what I mean...*wink wink* On the way home we stopped by at a gardening nursery to get some gardening items for her. Just as we stopped at the nursery the rain literally poured and continued until after I sent her home. Went home and treated my folks to dinner after that and talked briefly about my future plans...*nudge nudge* Both were very happy especially my mom for some reason. My dad even had to give her the 'chill out, let the boy do his thing' line as she seemed just a tad ecstatic. I think most dads are like that when it comes to matters such as these..*wink wink*

A day well spent I reckon..

Rains of Blood and Open Letters

2008-05-22T12:03:00.005+08:00

I went over to the Digital Webbing site last night and found out BloodRayne : Tokyo Rogue #1 was already out May 14th .It was initially scheduled to be on sale on the 29th. No idea as to why it was changed. Whatever it is, the book looks great and is on sale now. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, I only did flat colors for the final half of the issue. So here are some of the pages that I did, linked to the site. By Troy Wall, Jake Bilbao, John Wycough, Joel Seguin on colors, and flats by yours truly. And no, the flatter’s name is not on the credits. But who cares as long as I get paid.

I also went to a Foo Fighters fansite and read Dave Grohl’s open letter to Metallica. You can read it HERE.

After that I read Foo Fighters blog where Dave Grohl explained what the letter was all about HERE. These rock stars really have nothing better to do. Metallica’s St. Anger sucks hard by the way. I hope they do better on the next one…but I somehow seriously doubt it.

Forsaken!

2008-05-21T15:31:00.002+08:00

A few days ago I went over to Dream Theater’s Official Website and checked out the music video for the song Forsaken, one of the tracks for their latest full album, Systematic Chaos. I’ve had the album for almost a year now but I never really took notice to this particular song. Anyways the music video is an anime type short story about this guy who’s in love with a vampire. I only realized how awesome this song was, not only musically but also the lyrical content, after watching the video. When talking about Dream Theater, this is the shortest song in the album and I would have to say the least technical compared to the rest of the tracks in the album.

My favorite parts are the slow piano intro which then explodes into Petrucci’s guitar riffs, the catchy chorus parts where James LaBrie goes ‘..Forsakeeeenn!!..’ and of course Petrucci’s awesome guitar solo. Not too flashy but just enough to wow guitar freaks like me. The song has that European heavy metal feel to it but with that Dream Theater technical edge which makes it even better. I would listen to the song on repeat mode now ;p

Phooey..

2008-05-12T10:21:00.003+08:00

It’s been a while since my last post. So here’s the summary lowdown on things so far.
I finished flatting BloodRayne: Tokyo Rogue # 2 last week. Did it as fast as I could while juggling with my time consuming dayjob. I even emailed Joel to apologize for my declining speed and he kept telling me it was all good. I checked Digital Webbing’s page and found out that BloodRayne #1 will only be out on the 21st of May. And here I am worried about being behind. No wonder Joel was all cool about it. Now that it’s finished, I’m sure there’s plenty of time for him to do his part. He also asked me to flat a test page for a Punisher comic book and as it seemed to be the priority matter at the time, it was done in just a couple of hours. So now that everything’s done, I’ll have more time to concentrate on doing other things. Speaking of which…

Went over to Syafik’s place twice during all that flatting work and finished a couple of songs. I think there’s only one or two more songs two tweak before sending it over to mix. Two weeks ago we finished a demo for a song which both of us wrote about 4 years ago. He still remembered some parts that I played which I had totally forgot. We constructed the pieces together and ended up with a song having the whopping running time of about 8 minutes. Dream Theater you say? I think there’s a spirit of the influence somewhere in there as both of us are fans of the band.

….wanted to write some other things but can’t think of any at the moment. Ah phooey…

2008-05-12T10:21:00.002+08:00

Of Mondays, Old Emails, and Fashion Accessories

2008-04-07T11:36:00.000+08:00

Just like most Mondays. Demotivated, bored as hell, bad aura from the cubicle syndrome, etc. It’s such a drag. I spoke to a friend last week and shared our views on ‘Mondays’ and how it affects our lives. It seems that we share the same feeling on how Mondays actually affects our Sundays as well. You would actually get that dreaded feeling on Sunday afternoons when you know that Monday’s coming. My friend had also pinpointed that the feeling would come from 5pm to 12am on Sunday. Damn. Talk about precision.

Anyways, the weekend was pretty hectic. Joel had sent the first 6 pages of BloodRayne : Tokyo Rogue #2 last week and I finished flatting them all in 2 days. A record time for me as a part-timer. After sending him the first two pages, Joel emailed saying that the colors he received were overlapping the inks. My guess was right on the money when I found out that it was due to my ‘magic wand’ technique. It had actually caused him to clean up the bleeding colors which in his own words ‘had defeated the purpose of me doing the flats’. We then agreed that I would do the flatting using the same method as I did with Dark 48. I sent him a page after that and he was happy. I offered that the previous pages to be redone but Joel being such a cool guy told me that I didn’t have to.

Checked my email today and found an email from Steven O’Connell, the creator/writer of Dark 48 sending me a page of Dark 48 #2 which was to be flatted a month ago. Rewind to last month, where Joel had asked Steven to pass a page to me directly because he would be at work and we were facing a tight deadline. I was waiting for the email from Steve and it never came. I told Joel about it and I got the page from him instead. Luckily I did the flats on time and as you know the comic’s already out. But dude…the email from Steven arrived TODAY. I forwarded the email to both Joel and Steven saying that a snail mail from the US to Kuala Lumpur would’ve been quicker. Haha…

Also sms’ed Syafik and asked about his new job. Basically told me that it pretty much sucked. Well that’s news for ya buddy. Plans to do further recording this coming weekend is yet to be confirmed as Syafik told me that he might be working. Splendid…

Despite the weekend workload, I got to go to the Kraftangan Ekspo at Pusat Kraftangan Malaysia (or at least I think that’s the name of the place) on Jalan Conlay. My girlfriend, with some of our other friends of Maharisi Design has a booth selling fashion accessories. I’ve been there almost every night (to fetch my girlfriend) and today’s the last day. Sales and response for Maharisi Design is pretty good regardless of the company’s 5 month standing status. Quality speaks for itself I always say.

Intuitive Eating: An 'Anti-Diet' That Works

2008-03-30T20:24:00.001+08:00

Intuitive Eating: An 'Anti-Diet' That Works

Stop hating your body, stop counting calories and stop using food for purposes other than to satisfy hunger, and you'll be healthier and slimmer. That, in a nutshell, is the argument in favor of "intuitive eating," or letting your body tell you when, what and how much to eat.

"The basic premise of intuitive eating is, rather than manipulate what we eat in terms of prescribed diets -- how many calories a food has, how many grams of fat, specific food combinations or anything like that -- we should take internal cues, try to recognize what our body wants and then regulate how much we eat based on hunger and satiety," says professor of health science Steven Hawks, lead researcher of an intuitive-eating study at Brigham Young University.

The findings are reported in the American Journal of Health Education.

Hawks, who adopted an intuitive-eating lifestyle himself several years ago and lost 50 pounds as a result, says that "normal" dieting in the United States doesn't result in long-term weight loss and contributes to food anxiety and unhealthy eating practices, and can even lead to eating disorders.

All Diets Work Against Human Biology

Hawks and colleagues Hala Madanat, Jaylyn Hawks and Ashley Harris identified a handful of college students who were naturally intuitive eaters and compared them with other students who were not. Participants then were tested to evaluate their health.

As measured by the Intuitive Eating Scale, developed by Hawks and others to measure the degree to which a person is an intuitive eater, the researchers found that intuitive eating correlated significantly with lower body mass index (BMI), lower triglyceride levels, higher levels of high density lipoproteins and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Approximately one-third of the variance in body mass index was accounted for by intuitive eating scores, while 17 to 19 percent of the variance in blood lipid profiles and cardiovascular risk was accounted for by intuitive eating.

"The findings provide support for intuitive eating as a positive approach to healthy weight management," says Hawks, who plans to do a large-scale study of intuitive eating across several cultures.

"In less developed countries in Asia, people are primarily intuitive eaters," notes Hawks.

"They haven't been conditioned to artificially structure their relationship with food like we have in the United States. They’ve been conditioned to believe that the purpose of food is to enjoy, to nurture. You eat when you're hungry, you stop when you're not hungry any more. They have a much healthier relationship with food, far fewer eating disorders, and interestingly, far less obesity," he points out.

"What makes intuitive eating different from a diet, is that all diets work against human biology, whereas intuitive eating teaches people to work with their own biology, to work with their bodies, to understand their bodies," Hawks explains.

"Rather than a prescriptive diet, it's really about increasing awareness and understanding of your body. It's a nurturing approach to nutrition, health and fitness as opposed to a regulated, coercive, restrictive approach. That's why diets fail, and that's why intuitive eating has a better chance of being successful in the long term," he maintains.

Two Attitudes, Two Behaviors

To become an intuitive eater, a person has to adopt two attitudes and two behaviors. The first attitude is body acceptance.

"It’s an extremely difficult attitude adjustment for many people to make, but they have to come to a conscious decision that personal worth is not a function of body size," says Hawks. "Rather than having an adversarial relationship with my body, where I have to control it, and force it to submit to my will so that I can make it thin, I'm going to value my body because it allows me to accomplish some higher good with my life."

The second attitude is that dieting is harmful.

"Dieting does not lead to the results that people think it will lead to, and so I try to help people foster an anti-dieting attitude," says Hawks. "You have to say to yourself, 'I will not base my food intake on diet plans, food-based rules, good and bad foods, all of that kind of thing.' For people who are deep into dietary restraint and dietary rules, again, that's a very difficult attitude adjustment to make, to give up all those rules."

The first behavior is learning how to not eat for emotional, environmental or social reasons.

"Socially we eat all the time in our culture. We go out to eat ice cream if we break up with our boyfriend, we eat to celebrate, we eat when we're lonely, we eat when we're sad, we eat when we're stressed out," says Hawks. "Being able to recognize all the emotional, environmental and cultural relationships we have with food and finding better ways to manage our emotions is part of the process."

The second behavior is learning how to interpret body signals, cravings and hunger, and how to respond in a healthy, positive, nurturing way.

Learning the body's signals can be difficult at first, but Hawks suggests thinking about hunger and satiety on a 10-point scale, where "10" is eating until one is sick and "1" is starving.

Intuitive eaters keep themselves at or around a "5." If they feel they are getting hungry, they eat until they are back at a "5" or "6." They stop eating when they're satisfied, even if that means leaving food on the plate.

No Food Is Taboo

One part of intuitive eating that may be counterintuitive to people conditioned to restrictive dieting is the concept that with intuitive eating there is a place for every food. In other words, there is no food that's ever taboo. There's no food you can't ever have.

"Part of adopting an anti-dieting attitude is the recognition that you have unconditional permission to eat any kind of food that you want," says Hawks. "And that's scary for people who say, 'If I abandon my diet rules, then I'll fill a pillowcase full of M&M's, dive into it and never come up again. That's what I crave, I know that's what I crave, that's all I will always crave.' But that’s not the reality. The reality is that our bodies crave good nutrition."

It is dieting that creates psychological and physiological urges to binge on taboo foods. While people may experience some binges when they first start eating intuitively, they eventually will learn to trust themselves and that behavior will disappear, Hawks maintains.

One technique he suggests is having an abundance of previously taboo foods on hand. Once the foods are no longer forbidden, a person quickly loses interest in them.

"If people are committed to recognizing what their bodies really want, the vast majority of people will say that they very quickly overcame cravings," Hawks says, opening an office desk drawer filled with untouched junk food. "It certainly has worked for me."

Rita Jenkins is a health journalist for Daily News Central, an online publication that delivers breaking news and reliable health information to consumers, healthcare providers and industry professionals: http://www.dailynewscentral.com

Shy Guys With Scented Candles On Toilet Bowls

2008-03-25T11:26:00.006+08:00

As planned, I went over to Shafik’s place last weekend to do the bass tracks for two more songs. I was on the way Saturday night when he called while I was at a petrol station mart. Bad news, he forgot some recording equipment which would make it impossible for us to record. He told me to come over anyway while I assumed he would try to get it from nearby stores. This was around 9.30 at night so chances of him getting it was pretty steep.

I arrived in front of his house with no car at the garage. Rang him and he told me that he’s on the way. So it’s cool. A few minutes later he arrives and I went out to meet him at his car. More bad news as I suspected.
“We’re gonna have to do some travelling tonight bro”, he said.
It seems he couldn’t get the stuff because ‘kedai tutup la pulak’.Huahahaa...
So I quickly unpacked my gear at his house and we were off in Shafiks’s car.

I was pretty much expecting this so it was cool. We went over to his parents’ house that night to get the said equipment. Another cool side note; the drive was from an area near Bangi to his parent’s house in Senawang. Yeah...

Long story short, we were back around midnight. Shafik had set up the equipment, did some quick sound checks, and we started recording. Volume had to be at a minimal in order to avoid the neighbors from calling the cops on us. So we sat right in front of the computer and speakers to monitor the sound. The session for one song ended at around 6.30am. A big bottle of Coke, some chocolates, and dehydrated manggoes kept us going. We played it over a few times, dealt with some audio droputs, decided it was as kickass as it could get, and called it a night. Solat Subuh dulu brader then baru tidur.Heheh....

Taken around 4am. The dim lighting was the result of an earlier conversation that we had while driving to Senawang. Another quality which we just realized we have in common. After sharing some stories, Shafik came up with the phrase which later became the title of this blog. Sensitivity to light.Nocturnal nature. It's an indie musician thing..you know.Heh...

Woke up at around noon with a hangover feeling. Too much Coke I guess ;p
Went out to grab some take away lunch, and recorded bass tracks for the other song right away. This one ended quicker than the last. Probably because the song is shorter, which is not always the factor in completing a session.
I headed back to KL at around 8.30 Sunday night. Traffic was pretty bad due to the heavy rain. More songs completed, a few more to go, so I’m happy.

Dark48 #2, BloodRayne Tokyo Rogue

2008-03-20T15:10:00.001+08:00

Just finished up the flats for BloodRayne Tokyo Rogue last weekend. Did the last 3 pages straight in one sitting. Good thing the art for BloodRayne is in clean ink and bitmap format. Judging by the inks I’m pretty sure it was done digitally. Since the inks were really tight I had asked Joel earlier if I could just flat the art using the magic wand tool. (Non-Photoshop user? No idea what I’m talking about? Tough luck :p). Joel said it was “A-okay” so it saved a lot of time for me.

I just received payment for the flatting job on Dark48 issue #2 over the weekend. Woot!Went over to Digital Webbing’s page and they already have a 5 page preview on the book. It will be on sale on March 26th which is coincidently my BIRTHDAY! Woohoo! Joel did an awesome job adding mood to the pages. To my surprise he had kept almost all of the colors that I did. I was actually expecting a total revamp of the colors as I was only given color guides on the main characters. I guess he was happy with my color scheme over the buildings and the rest of the characters, as there weren’t many changes. Enough talk, here are some page previews linked to the website.

Offline Promotion Guide By David Callan

2008-03-18T13:46:00.000+08:00

Banner ads, search engines and link exchanges. We've all tried them while promoting our sites and online businesses, some have worked more successfully than others mind you but just because you run an online business doesn't mean you've to always promote it online. In fact on many occasions a websites marketing budget can be spent just as effectively using offline methods as it can be using online methods such as the ones mentioned above. Indeed website branding seems to be much more successful using offline methods such as TV and Radio. This article is your guide to promoting your website offline, I hope you enjoy it. Your URL is very importantThe basis behind any offline promotion campaign for your website is of course to get your website visited more often and if your sales letter is good enough to get more sales from these extra visitors. This can only be done by getting the address of your site 'out there' and visible to lots and lots of people. It's for this reason that your URL is very important, it's your lifeline in the offline world, the amount of exposure it receives will make or break your offline campaign. It should appear on any material you send to customers or clients, others businesses you deal with and most importantly potential customers. More on where you can put your URL offline a little later, but for now here's a little paragraph or two regarding things which you can do online to help your offline marketing efforts. First off your website should always have a banner (a standard 468 x 60 or larger banner works best) at the top of every page with your website address clearly visible on it. The reasoning behind this it that many people prefer to print out larger webpages with articles, stories, tutorials and the like to read later and then keep for reference rather than read them online as they're surfing. Without your URL on your banner people may re-read your content but never revisit your site due to them simply forgetting your website address and you may have lost a customer. It's also a good idea to make available online any recent press releases you may have issued. This is due to the fact that many journalists and editors surf the web, if they like your company and product they might be inclined to let their readers know why. A press release will provide them with the latest information regarding your company helping them to do this. Now we'll go through where you can promote your site offline.Put your URL on all day to day business items In the day to day running of your business you'll use many document type items. By these I refer to invoices you send, faxes you send, checks you send, product packaging, business cards etc. Your URL, email address and an attractive website slogan which makes people want to visit should all be present on each of these items either in the form of a banner used with faxes, invoices or other letterhead paper items or simple text which is generally used for business cards and checks. You could even include your URL and if space permits your website slogan on all the simple letter envelopes you send out.
TelevisionNext we'll talk about the big one - TV. This may well appear to be financially out of reach of all but the biggest websites with very large advertising budgets, but no this is not true. OK admittedly you probably don't and never will have the financial capability to run ads on mainstream Cable such as Fox in America or Sky in Britain and Ireland, not to worry though as such advertising is usually targeted very generally and is useful only to sites with broad appeal such as Amazon.com or Yahoo.com. Local cable television advertising is much more feasible and effective for the more 'ordinary website'. This type of advertising appears to be very reasonably priced at the moment and is particularly effective if your product or services is oriented toward a specific geographic target market, for example imagine if you were a Detroit web design company, simply advertise your company and URL on a local Detroit channel. Contact a Sales representative from your local cable company to find out more. You should of course mention your URL on numerous occasions within your ad spot. RadioRadio advertising can be very effective in advertising your URL if your domain name is short, catchy and easy to remember. Creative webmasters could develop short scripts themselves whereby their ad incorporates their slogan which in turn incorporates the benefits of visiting their URL. As with TV advertising radio ads work best when targeted towards a specific demographically segmented market such as a certain cities residents. Again price wise you mightn't be able to compete with the big boys and have ads on very popular stations, but local stations offer good prices. Keep in mind however that prices all depend on when and how often your ad is run. Newspapers, classifieds and related magazinesThe print media which includes newspapers, journals and magazines is another avenue where your can have your URL exposed for everyone to see. It's best first to start advertising your products, services and URL in local newspapers and then if successful continue onto regional and national publications. If you can't afford the common graphical advertisement as seen throughout newspapers and journals related to your industry don't worry as most of these publications have classified ad sections. Classified ads allow you to reach a targeted audience very cheaply with a simple short message and of course your URL is included in there somewhere too. Company vehiclesWe all see vehicles with company names and telephone numbers on them driving our streets and motorways. This is a great idea as it gives potential customers the chance while out and about to learn about the company and also learn about how to contact them should they need the service or product they offer at some stage in the future. I often wonder why more websites aren't promoted in this way by simply adding the company website URL also, you definitely should do this. If your business is an exclusively online entity then your URL should be large and very visible to anyone who glances in the direction of your vehicle. Again many people would be driving or walking by as your vehicle drives by and wouldn't be able to write down a long website address so it would be an advantage to have a short, easy to remember URL. A word of advice before we move on, if you do choose to brand your personal or company vehicles with your URL have it done professionally, if your design looks poor people might be inclined to believe your site and products are poor too. Check a local business directory to find out who can do this for you.

Electric Guitar Set Up: How to Maximize Your Guitar's Performance

2008-03-17T14:44:00.003+08:00

-something useful for guys & gals like me-

by: Ek Lucktong

Like any precision instrument guitars will perform their best when they are properly set up. By setting up your guitar properly you can maximize your guitar’s potential and also customize how it will feel, play, and sound to your liking. There are some adjustments that are best left to a professional but you can do a lot yourself with just a few simple tools. Here are 3 easy steps you can take to adjust your guitar’s action, intonation, and pickup output.

The action of a guitar refers to how easy it is to fret (push down on) the strings. A guitar set up with good action will play effortlessly. The easiest way to affect the action of a guitar is by adjusting the string height at the bridge. Most electric guitars will have an adjustable bridge to allow this. Most guitar bridges will have either a hand-turned bridge height adjustment knob (like on Les Paul type guitars) or a hex-wrench driven mechanism (like most Strat-type guitars). Simply turn the screws to lower the string height. The goal is to go as low as you can before the strings start to ‘buzz’ meaning they are resting on a the fret wire. There are some instances where you may want a higher string height, for example if you play slide guitar, but in general the lower the better. Other adjustments that affect string height and action such as height at the nut, neck angle, and truss rod adjustments may be better left for the professional.

Intonation of a guitar refers to the relationship of the frets to the precise string length. A guitar that is intonated correctly will sound ‘in-tune’ at all neck positions. Poorly intonated guitars will sound ok at one neck position, but will sound ‘out-of-tune’ at other neck positions. The length of a guitar string from nut to bridge needs to be exactly bisected at the 12th fret. In other words the 12th fret must divide the string exactly in half. Here the adjustable bridge comes into play again. Most bridges will have individual saddles for each string that can be moved to adjust intonation. Moving the string saddle, in effect, changes the length of the string. You will need a good electronic tuner to adjust your intonation. The goal here is to precisely match the tone of the fretted 12th string to the tone of the 12th string natural harmonic. A natural harmonic tone is achieved by only lightly putting your finger over the fret wire (the 12th in this instance) and picking the string normally. Natural harmonics will ring like a chime. They are easier to hear when the guitar is plugged into an amp and even easier when using the overdrive channel of your amp. Use your tuner to match the tone of the 12th string harmonic to the fretted 12th string tone by incrementally moving the string saddle one way or the other. Do this for each individual string, and your guitar will be intonated.

Pickup output can greatly be affected by the proximity of the pickup to the string. The easiest way to adjust this is by adjusting the pickup height. The closer the pickup is to the string the higher the output. Most pickups will have a height adjustment screw on either side of the pickup housing. Simply turn it to raise and lower the pickup. Fret the strings at the highest possible fret and raise the pickup so that it’s about 1/8” from the string. This should produce a good high output sound. From here you can customize your sound by either raising or lowering the high E or low E side of the pickup to enhance or subdue the treble or bass response. Make sure that you match the output between all of your pickups so that you won’t get a big volume change when you change pickups.

With these tips your should be able to improve and customize your guitar and maximize the its performance. Remember that a properly set up guitar has a great impact on how it will play. It can be the difference between a guitar that plays good or one that plays great. Visit www.2ndstringguitars.com for the best value in new and used guitars, factory 2nds, and refurbished instruments at cheap guitar prices.

E. Lucktong

About The Author
E. Lucktong is an avid guitar player and performer with over 20 years of experience. Visit http://www.2ndstringguitars.com/ for great values on new and used guitars, Factory 2nd and refurbished guitars, and vintages.

Weekend Recording Session

2008-03-10T16:07:00.002+08:00

The weekend recording session at Shafik’s house went pretty well. I drove over to his house on Friday night. Traffic wasn’t so bad despite election being held the next day.That and the fact that I drove to his house at around 11pm.

Being completely useless when it comes to directions, I surprisingly reached his house without any problems. Well, one minor mistake on Shafik’s part.He gave the wrong street address. What was number 16 was actually number 6. Luckily I called him first saying that I’m right in front of his house. I had recognized the car but noticed that there was also a motorcycle. Maybe he just bought one I thought. He kept saying he can’t see my car anywhere. True enough, it was the right house number, but the wrong street. Lucky I didn’t go over knocking on some stranger’s house.

We went out and had a late supper after that, talked about plans for the album, went home and was too tired to do anything. Work would start next day.

Shafik told me earlier that a neighbor was going to have a ‘kenduri kahwin’ for his daughter. That meant one thing and one thing alone to us. Free food. Drums programming started after that. We continued what I had done halfway for one of the songs and finished that afternoon. Got really tired after that and slept the whole afternoon.

Woke up and went out to a nearby night market for dinner. Couldn’t find anything solid, so we just bought some ‘apam baliks’ and bought dinner at the same place we had supper the night before. Drum tracks for the next song started immediately after dinner. This one took longer as we started from scratch. I had also cut down about 2 minutes of the song because it was too long. Finished at 4am and was really satisfied with the track. Went straight to bed after that.

The next morning Shafik turned on the PC and played my guitar over the tracks just to double check. I only heard him playing downstairs while I was in the shower. It sounded awesome. We wanted to do more tracks but ran out of time. It was already Sunday and I had comic deadlines to meet. If all goes well, we might meet again this weekend to finish other tracks. 2 completed songs over the weekend was productive enough.

I immediately checked my email for the last 2 pages of Dark 48 once I got home. Turns out that Joel had sent both of them on Saturday and needed it to be done on Sunday (his time) for him to finish up coloring. Had a quick lunch and finished the 2 pages that afternoon. It was the quickest 2 page stint I had ever done. Got an email from Joel today thanking me for finishing it up early for him to color. One of my busiest weekends ever. But Joel told me that payments should come in in a couple of days. So its all good...

Where I talk about more comic flatting jobs and the guitar album update

2008-03-06T12:47:00.001+08:00

I’m currently finishing up the flats on the final pages of Dark 48 #2. Last weekend Joel emailed me informing that the deadline should be by Tuesday (his time). It was fine by me, but the twist was that the penciller, Daniel Indro hadn’t finished up the whole thing yet, so I only received the pages one after another immediately after it was approved...

A little off track info: I just found out from reading an interview with the writer/creator Steven O’Connell about Dark 48 that Daniel Indro is Indonesian. So we’re basically neighbors! Another cool note is that in the interview, Steve reveals that he gets his creative energy from his 9 to 5 day job which he hates so much. Amen to that I say.
There’s also an offical site to Dark 48 located HERE by the way.

Now back to our show.

So it’s now Thursday (my time) and I’ve yet to receive the last two pages of issue #2. Joel said that unfortunately the deadline is now up to the penciller. Haha..! But it’s cool though. The flats should be finished by this week.

The second twist to the situation is that Joel’s other flatter for a new BloodRayne comic called BloodRayne:Tokyo Rogue has bailed. So he offered me about half a comic worth of pages to flat ASAP plus two more upcoming issues! Hey, more pages equals more $$ for me, so I’m game. For those who thinks the name BloodRayne is familiar, yes it’s based on the Playstation video game...of which I’ve never played. So far things are going great! With the dough I make from flatting comics I’ll have the funds to finish up the long awaited instrumental guitar album.

Which now brings us to the second part of the blog update.

SMS’ed Shafik the other day and we talked out the details for the album. He’ll be assisting me on the bass tracks and further drum programming for the rest of the songs this weekend. I doubt that we’ll be able to finish the whole drums and bass affair this weekend, so we’re aiming to complete editing the drum tracks for the whole album first. Since Shafik is staying alone, he’ll be moving his gear from his parents’ place to his house in Bangi. The plan is to go to his place on Friday night, start working on the drums, do the whole voting thing on Saturday morning and continue until Sunday.

I’ve been wanting to collaborate with Shafik for a while now. This guy’s got the most sensitive set of ears when it comes to pitching and timing. Plus he’s a magician when it comes to drum programming. The result of an excessive dose of Dream Theater I presume. :p The last time we recorded together was during our Uni days where we recorded a jazzy track which never surfaced. He had played his Hamer bass of which he had just bought at the time and we just wanted to try and see how it would sound recorded directly without an amplifier. Agreeing to collaborate on the current project, he voiced out his intention on remaking the jazzy track we did before since he liked it so much. Who knows, it might even be included in the album...

My New Wacom Bamboo & Old Promises of the Ibanez RG1570

2008-02-26T13:07:00.007+08:00

After receiving an email from Joel the other day about the rough deadline schedule, I thought I just had to get a graphic tablet. Therefore from the previous payments and scrapping around for some extra cash, comes my new Wacom Bamboo! Yes, it’s probably one of the cheapest in wacom’s line of products but it’s still pretty cool. A lot better than using a mouse that’s for sure!

I’ve read in several forums that if you’re a mouse user, the transition to a tablet may be a while and I’ve heard new wacom users complain about how different and hard it is to use a tablet after being so used to the mouse. It seems that everyone agrees that the tablet may take some getting used to if you’re a traditional mouse user. I was pretty much expecting this and thought that I may not be able to use my wacom to finish a page right away since it’s my first tablet and all. But much to my surprise, it took me only about ten minutes to get used to the thing and I was zooming away on the pages! Is it just me or are all those people in the forums lying? Who cares as long as I get my colors done. So I’m still exploring my tablet and trying to figure out what other cool effects I can do with it. I’m planning on trying to do some digital inking with it after the flatting job’s done. The pictures I’ve posted aren’t my actual tablet, but it’s the exact same model and color.

On with the next stuff. I think it was more or less a month ago that Suardi, another rocker friend from my Uni days e-mailed me regarding the Ibanez RG1570 guitar. He himself owns a China made Ibanez (if I’m not mistaken) and is planning on upgrading to the Japanese model, the reason being that the Japanese models are superior to their Chinese counterparts (well at least I think so). He had asked me to write a little review on the model since I’m a proud owner and all. My apologies dude for taking forever to do the review. As mentioned in my previous posts, I’ve been quite busy juggling several projects at once. I’m not all that good at writing reviews but a promise is a promise no? So here we go.

The Basics

The following is based on my Black Ibanez RG1570. The Ibanez RG1570 has the traditional Ibanez body shape, meaning this baby’s slick and is always ready to rock! It’s made up of a basswood body, which means its relatively light compared to guitars made with other type of woods, 3-piece maple neck, (some models have the 5-piece configuration, this includes mine), 24 fret rosewood fret board (cakap Melayu is kayu cengal, betul Mr. Suardi?) pearl dot inlays, and black steel hardware. The bridge is a locking tremolo type model called the Edge Pro made by Ibanez. It has three pickups, H-S-H configuration (that’s humbucker-single coil-humbucker, for those of you nodding but have no idea what I’m talking about.Yeah that means you at the back!..). Controls are one master tone and one master volume with a 5-way pickup switch. Both solid steel with dark chrome finish.

From the Top!

The headstock sports the traditional Ibanez shape with the Ibanez logo in pearloid. On top of the logo has the word Prestige written on it, indicating the neck type. The guitar is one of the Prestige series models, a line of model released by Ibanez to distinguish its neck type. The Prestige is a super thin neck with a chunk of solid extra wood under the nut area for support. The Prestige neck makes it easy to move up and down the fret board quickly enabling fast solos and licks. The moment I tried the guitar, the neck felt very comfortable, like I’ve had the guitar for years. It took no time at all to get used to. This was one of the main reasons I picked this to be my main axe, because the neck area is the place where I’d be spending most of my time on (it’s a guitar, where else would I be?..pffh...)

Sound Garden

The pickups are the Ibanez made V7 humbucker on the neck, single coil S1 in the middle, and V8 humbucker by the bridge. Played clean, the bridge pickup reminds me of Marty Friedman’s clean tone in the song ‘Rio’. A little tweakage on the amp could also get you John Petrucci’s tone on the intro of ‘Pull Me Under’. Very clear clean treble with a touch of mids. Moving the pickup switch up to the front combines one of the V8 pickup with the S1, making the tone slightly rounder with lesser nasal sound. Playing the S1 alone however creates a totally different sound, a thinner single coil sound most prominent with Fender’s tone. Moving the pickup switch to the third position combines the S1 with the V7 makes a good tone for strumming. It resembles a semi acoustic tone, both sharp and round at the same time. Now it’s not the exact emulation of an electric-acoustic, but it’s good enough for hard strumming type songs. Moving the pickup switch all the way up lets you use the V7 humbucker. Solid sweet round sound, very good for jazz soloing when played clean. I love to use this setting whenever I’m feeling like George Benson ;p

With the distortion mode, the neck pickup gets you that tight edged Petrucci sound with a touch of mid. Very cool for chugging riffs and solos on the lower register of the neck. Moving the pickup switch down the neck would gradually make the tone rounder. The S1 on distortion however would probably be my least favorite, as it’s weaker compared to the other two. The V7 neck humbucker on distortion is totally sweet! Awesome for soaring leads with good sustain, and very handy when playing notes above the 12th fret mark as the sound is high and round but not too high to hurt the ears as compared to playing the high frets with the bridge pickup. I mean it’s good if you like stinging high notes with bridge pickup configuration and all. I guess it depends on what you’re playing and your musical preference.

Overall, the pickups have very good sustain and tone variety. If you’re aiming for more power and rockin’ tones, then by all means change the pickups to DiMarzios or something, but for me, playing the stock pickups would in no way make me feel inferior.

Bridge Action

As mentioned earlier, the RG1570 is equipped with the Edge Pro locking tremolo bridge. From my readings, it seems that the Edge Pro is one of the most reliable among other Ibanez locking trems when it comes to tuning stability. When set up properly and the strings stretched, my tuning remained unbelievably stable even after hard abuse on the tremolo arm. Very handy when doing dive-bombs and squealing harmonics. As for the action, the factory setting was nice and low, good enough for fast solos and ease of play. The settings however can always be adjusted at the bridge for personal preference.

In all, the Ibanez RG1570 is a great versatile guitar with an assortment of sounds for both clean and dirty channels. The pickups are unbelievably good considering they’re factory stocks, however if one wishes to go further sonically, then a pickup overhaul wouldn’t hurt. I however am very satisfied with the tone and sustain of the standard stuff with the exception of the S1. As for looks, for me the Ibanez is the definition of a modern guitar player. Sure it looks like an electric guitar more fitting in the rock/metal genre, but this baby’s got more up her sleeve, or should I say neck.

Hope this helps.

Peace.

About Stuff

2008-02-20T16:57:00.001+08:00

Yesterday I rang Syafiq, a friend from my rocking university days. What was intended to be a short chat gradually turned into major plans of future creativity. The guy who recently graduated (finally!) and is currently working now shares my ideas on working day jobs and being an employee. That it totally sucks and we realized that ‘people like us’ can only take so much. A good thing that came out of it was that he agreed on assisting me with the album with regards to writing and recording duties. A total relief for me since it’s practically impossible for a one man show. Its not that I didn’t ask him earlier but he had study commitments and we basically had no proper place for gears to be set up properly.

Now that he’s had his share of shit from the bricks and mortar world, we decided that we have no time to waste and the album will be out asap. Plans for funding, additional song arrangements will be discussed and it’s possible that the album will now be further recorded in stages at two separate venues (his and mine) prior to sending it over for further mixing and mastering at Rafik’s studio. The album will still be under my name, with some co-songwriting and recording credits in Syafiq’s name. Which is totally cool with me.

On a different note, I just finished flat coloring five more pages of Dark 48 and sent them to Joel on Monday. Just received two more pages today and they should be done by Friday.

I think it’s good that I’m occupied with several projects plus work at one time since I’m currently facing some changes emotionally recently. But that won’t be disclosed here. Moving on!….

The Album

2008-02-12T16:18:00.000+08:00

It’s been a while since I talked about this topic. Those who have read my earlier posts from last year may have thought I decided to abandon the project altogether. I’m referring to the independent instrumental album that I was working on. As mentioned in earlier posts, the project was temporarily suspended due to my lack of funds. Songs have been recorded roughly at my home workstation but further processing was put to a halt for the same reason.

Not too long ago JD, the guitarist for Pop Shuvit had asked me about the details of the album-where it was going to be mixed & mastered, and most importantly when it was going to be out. After I told him about the situation, he said that it was a common issue plaguing ‘us independent musicians’. It’s very reassuring to know that the band now currently touring with My Chemical Romance on their Asian tour had the same problem when they started a few years back. And the fact that someone is interested to listen to my stuff once its done is quite flattering. Then a couple of weeks ago the sound engineer responsible for mixing (soon mastering) the first song had asked my co-worker about the album and when I was going to continue (the relationship between the sound engineer and my co-worker was mentioned in an earlier post).

I guess I’m having a sudden revelation of sorts, where I think I’ll have to cut down the album (again) to only 5 songs. Mainly because it would take forever to complete if I were to hope to have the funds available for the whole album. Being a freelance colorist (among other things) would currently help support the album and I’m making a promise to myself that it will be out this year. The cutback to 5 songs is an unfortunate neccessity in order to make it happen and I’ll have to choose the best 5 to be further processed one by one, with payment methods to be further discussed with my sound engineer. This thing must come out this year. One way or another. Double time!!..

Real High Paying Paid to Click Websites! on Squidoo

2008-02-12T00:57:00.000+08:00

Real High Paying Paid to Click Websites! on Squidoo: "Paid to Click (PTC) sites have become a popular way for those looking for residual income without the hassle of writing blogs and setting up websites. Find out about PTC sites, and the good ones that pay.
Popular High Paying PTC's
What are PTC sites? PTC is an acronym for Paid to Click where you get paid to view ads for a certain period of time.

Most of you are probably wondering whether these sites are real or just another one of those internet scams we're so used to. Well, to tell you the truth, there are scam sites out there that make you view their ads and pay you nothing in the end. You can find a long list of those sites on other lenses."

Dark 48, Iron Sirens and Datelines

2008-02-11T15:34:00.000+08:00

For the handful of people reading this blog, yes, I’m still alive. I did quite a few pages of comics flatting and I’m enjoying my little break from it all. The first set of payment for Iron Sirens was sent by Joel Seguin so it’s all good. I can’t wait to see the final stuff. Joel told me he’d show me the finished pages last week. Still no word..maybe I should send him a reminder email..hehe..In the meantime, more pages of Dark 48 will be sent over soon.

I was a bit worried and apologized to Joel for my little delay in finishing the recent pages of Dark 48 (should be out by the end of this month). Joel being such a cool guy tells me not to worry about delays for now since he’s still on so and so page and the penciller is still on so and so page(classified stuff). He also told me that crunch time will be in two weeks and that’s when they’ll start to get tough. It’s like one of those moments in movies where a guy tells the other guy a last minute information that’s detrimental to the current situation. A hypothetical situation being;

Two guys are chased by a bunch of bad guys on top of a building. One guy finds a helicopter parked and tells the other guy to get on to escape. They get on the chopper and starts to fly then the guy piloting the chopper tells the other with a line that’s close to this...

“This may not be the best time to tell you, but I never finished flying school because I’m afraid of heights.”

I’m just afraid that during crunch time something like that may happen with me saying something like this...

“This may not be the best time to tell you, but I’m doing all this coloring with a frickin’ MOUSE.."

Download Cheap eBooks!

2008-01-30T09:32:00.000+08:00

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That's right. Click the buy now button for payments and you'll be given a link to download your ebooks. Want to download more cheap ebooks? Then go HERE.

Paid to Click Websites

2008-01-25T12:27:00.000+08:00

I wrote an article on Squidoo about Paid to Click websites and some of the ones I've joined. I think it's suffice to just put the high paying ones on there so other impatient clickers like me can earn some dough quicker!Check it out HERE.

Hope to be writing more stuff there. That reminds me. I have to write a guitar review for a friend. Sorry bro. Been busy. Will try to write the stuff this weekend.Hehe...

Rat Race Reality or What is the Matrix?

2008-01-24T12:03:00.000+08:00

If somehow you figured out a way to generate an income without the hassles of the daily 9 to 5 (or 9 to 9pm,or 9 to 10pm,or 9 to 12am and so on and so forth), would you still be a part of the rat race? No, this isn’t one of those get rich quick schemes and I’m not selling any service or product to that effect. It’s just a question that has come to mind recently on the purpose of us getting up in the morning to face the bricks and mortar world each and everyday only to find that pressure and anxiety starts to kick in the very moment you step out of the front door.

Why do we do it? I think it all starts from the traditional way of thinking where a child is taught and is pushed to be the best especially in education in order to become the cliché profession of lawyers, doctors, bankers, engineers etc. etc. The paramount purpose to all this would most probably so that the person would be respected by others due to his status and professional standing, and another more common reason would be wealth or in other words financial stability (to a certain extent). Financial stability…not financial freedom. Two very, very different things.

But if we were to look deeper and honestly ask ourselves, aren’t these actually mere expectancies from others? Aren’t we doing this because it was a ‘tradition’ going back generations? To work, get home, get paid by the end of the month and be happy about it. We follow up with the procedures because everyone expects us to be that way. Because its what everyone else does, and everyone seems to succeed. I mean it’s a safe bet. You go to work, earn your paycheck, and live your life happy. Supposedly. If you consider leaving the house at the crack of dawn in order to beat traffic or the morning rush at train or bus stations, then working your butt off and returning home when the sun sets as succeeding in life, then the rest of this blog post would be of no relevance.

But the initial question then comes to mind. Why do we do it? Is it because we enjoy it? Or is it because we’re in some sick and indirect way forced into living this sort of lifestyle? The reality, food has to be put on the table, the rent has to be paid, loans(home loans, study loans, credit cards) among other things, has to be serviced. It would seem that we’re financially obliged from day one. Therefore aren’t we mere rodents trapped in a cage left to run the spinning wheel day after day with mere peanuts as rewards? Or are we a part of a general manufacture with the purpose to generate energy such as the humans placed in pods in the movie the Matrix? Come to think of it, the life we lead today is theoretically not too distant from the bizarre situation portrayed in the abovesaid movie. That we are all under some form of control to a part of a bigger mechanism.

Sure you’ll be rewarded for the work you’ve done, but isn’t it an irony to spend years of time and energy studying then finding yourself with a profession which invites more headache day after day for the sake of status? At least you’ll be able to put food on the table, right? Climbing the corporate ladder isn’t that difficult. There’s only a few hundred if not thousands in the same office with the same if not higher qualifications than you, right? And once you do climb that corporate ladder, it will all be rainbows and ice-cream, right? It doesn’t matter if more than half of your monthly earnings are deducted to service loans as long as that dream home is fully yours by the time you’re 65. Right?

But if what we’re already doing is so great and ideal, then why are some better off than others? Is it just fate? The truth is, there are other ways of gaining financial freedom without sacrificing your time while leaving your mental stability intact. It’s just that these methods are unpopular among the regular ‘rats’. The challenge is to take that preliminary step, which is usually the hardest especially when it involves dramatic change to a society’s usual norms. Nothing great comes easy. Of course the initial stages would be a challenge, but there’s probably just a handful of people who become millionaires from working their 9 to 5 day jobs. And that’s the reality.

Comic Coloring Job!

2008-01-18T11:24:00.000+08:00

It’s been quite a busy week for me. I was recently hired by Joel Sequin, one of the colorists for the US based comic books from DigitalWebbing.com to help him out in doing flat colors for a couple of their titles. For you folks scoring at home, flat colors are just the basic colors applied on an art piece in a comic book. The art is colored with only basic colors without any shading, lighting/light source effects, and special digital effects whatsoever. It’s basically the initial step of comic coloring.

Many comic book colorists nowadays hire flat colorists, otherwise commonly known as ‘flatters’ to lay down the basic colors for them. This is because the books have to be put out monthly and for one person to do the coloring for a 22 to 24 page comic book in a one-month deadline from scratch would simply be murder (and that’s just one book. I believe Joel has to color two). Therefore flatters like me are hired to do this initial step and then immediately pass the pages to them to continue with the further details, color change, and what not.

So as to date, I’m the flatter for two comic book titles, Dark 48 and Iron Sirens. My aid in the coloring process will be published in the February issue (I think). Wait… THIS IS SO FRICKIN AWESOME!!!!…(a little adrenaline excitement just begging to come out) Several pages for both of these comics are done and Joel just sent me 3 more pages of Iron Sirens this morning. It’s a pretty cool freelance job. I get to see the raw stuff before it’s published (if only the letter balloons were done, I’d get to read the stuff as well. But no such luck. I’m just getting uncolored mute comics for now) I get to make some cool cash coloring comics. I mean I get paid in USD to color part time. Pretty good deal huh? Convert it to Malaysian Ringgit, and it’s enough to…well I’m not telling that much.

Zombified

2008-01-14T12:46:00.000+08:00

Dude…I had major trouble sleeping last night. No idea why though. Here’s the short walkthrough of last night’s ordeal.

Fell asleep at round 2.30am(I think), then suddenly got up at around 4.30am.
Tossed and turned until my alarm clock rang at 6.45.
Totally pissed off because couldn’t get any sleep.
Contemplates attempt at getting a sick leave but throws thought out the window since I was feeling ok and the plan would probably fail should the doctor detects me faking.
Goes straight to work and now I’m having this nerve-snapping headache.
Please God help me get through the day.
I hereby declare myself officially zombified.

*suddenly craving for brains*

Mmmm...Adss...

2008-01-09T16:20:00.000+08:00

I just got ads after waiting about a month or so. There's a whole bunch. So I'm all smiles....

Yeah..

Rule of the Karma

2008-01-04T12:04:00.000+08:00

Everybody knows about karma right? You know, the “what you give you get back” kinda deal (pretty good song by Scorpions by the way). I think every belief has this system one way or another as a method of inculcating the doing of good deeds to others and being rewarded the same in return.

I think everyone has faced this karma effect. I mean, do something bad and you’re ultimately bound to get kicked in the face at some time as a result of the bouncing wall effect. Dump trash, eat toxic veggies.

A similar effect had happened to me recently (obviously not the first time). It all started last year when I emailed a better-experienced person regarding an artwork that I colored, hoping to get advice and tips on how to improve the said piece. Sure enough I did get the advice and comments but in a way that’s not so subtle and gave me a different point of view on the guy.

Fast-forward to last month where I joined an art forum and you-know-who is also in it. Showing off his skills to the virtual public. Both of us knew who we were and just kept quiet .By the way, this forum also consists of many pros who are way better than both of us. A few days ago mr.know-it-all posted an artwork and a pro came and commented on his piece and was throwing bombshells at the guy up to the point of saying “you should think before you post”. It seems that he has been given these types of comments from some other previous artwork on other topics as well. I checked again on the forum today and our little boo-boo had erased the topic altogether. I guess he was too affected by the comment. Come to think of it, I almost feel sorry for the guy…NOT!!

So be nice. It pays…ultimately.

Langkawi HDR Photos

2008-01-03T16:19:00.001+08:00

Here's some of the pics from my Langkawi trip recently. Only managed to post 4 for now. I'll be adding more later. Clicking on the picture will take you to my art gallery for a bigger view.

Early morning at the beach.

Greenscape.

Cloudy mountain.

Old house.

Back to Work

2007-12-28T10:52:00.000+08:00

I just got back from vacation in Langkawi on Tuesday. Will be posting the pics soon. Hope to get them all HDR processed if I have the time. Ugghh…it’s so boring returning to work after a long vacation…

Dreaming Out Loud

2007-12-14T10:16:00.000+08:00

Last night I watched several episodes of the Japanese anime Death Note. I started watching the anime after the Japanese movie was released a couple of years back. Anyways I went straight to bed after that and had this weird dream.

I was walking along a row of shops somewhere in KL and bumped into a group of what looked like Japanese rockers. I somehow had recognized them and said, “Wait a minute...wait a minute!…You guys are *Loudness right?”. *(For those not in the know, Loudness is a Japanese heavy metal band. Huge legend with their virtuoso guitarist Akira Takasaki. Similar to Search in Malaysia. I think Search is also influenced by Loudness)

One of the guys in the group then said,
“No no. Not us, just them”, and pointed to three other significantly older guys. This bigger group then walked away leaving just the three smiling at me. I seemed unusually excited to see them and we talked shortly about music. They then left and we exchanged goodbyes. The weird thing was, I’ve only listened to one of their albums “Thunder in the East” and don’t even recognize any of their faces. But in the dream I knew that it was them.

I woke up thinking…what the hell? The only link between Death Note and Loudness is that they’re both from Japan. Maybe I should start watching Aladdin the animated series so I could meet Dream Theater in my dreams. Go figure…

The Idiot's Guide to Cooking French Fries

2007-12-10T18:59:00.000+08:00

I've recently learned something new about the way to cook french fries. I've always wondered why my french fries was too oily and soggy. No, this isn't one of those home products that will change the way you live commercials. It's just something I've learned after years of cooking french fries and having them taste like they're soaked in cooking oil. This had always resulted in me getting either a headache or wanting to puke after I eat them.

I reported this to my girlfriend and told her each step of the process and asked her what I had done wrong. It turns out that there was one 'fatal' error in my method and that was to turn off the fire prior to taking the fries out of the pan. My girlfriend told me that in order to get the fries tasting crispy and less oily, you're supposed to take out the fries while the fire is still on. The reason for this is that when the oil is still heated, it boils (I know no other term explaining the act of the oil going all bubbly due to the heat) and doesn't seep into the fries. If you were to turn the fire off, then take out the fries, this would result in the fries absorbing the cooking oil because it has nowhere to go due to the heat being turned off. So that's why my fries tastes like it's dipped in gasoline.DuH!!!....Last weekend I gave it a try and true enough, the fries tasted so much better. So this is me going all Jamie Oliver on this post. See you on the next show.Happy cooking...

Procedures, Asses, & People Who Can’t Comprehend Its Meaning

2007-12-07T12:05:00.000+08:00

Procedures are an essential part of an organization. Be it large or small, any organization requires a certain type of policies or procedures in order to ensure the smooth running of a system and to avoid chaos, which in the end may cause the organization to crumble. At times, these procedures may cause inconveniences, delays and what not. However, these procedures are created for a reason and not made according to one person’s whims and fancies, but by a group or committee running the show.

It is sometimes annoying when a number of people request for certain things to be done without adhering to procedures for their own personal gains. If it were up to one person’s decision, then everything could be done in haste. But the problem is that big decisions take time and procedures,requiring more than one person to make the said decision.

Of course, procedures can be amended according to time and circumstances but in normal cases, normal steps would have to be followed. Tough luck? Well when it comes to risking one’s bread and butter, breaking a policy for the sake of ‘helping your own kind’ is totally out of the question.

In simpler words,..dude! if I were to help you out, it could cost me my job! If I get fired, are you gonna write my paycheck every damn month for the rest of my working life? I don’t think so...Just trying to save my ass here. And for those out there, remember to look out for your own ass first. No matter how big or tight or round or nicely shaped it is, no one’s gonna save your ass when its in a pickle and even more so when saving it could cost their own asses. So those who disagree can just kiss my ass...

Bossness

2007-12-05T11:53:00.000+08:00

It's been three days since my boss is on leave. Another senior officer is on a course until tomorrow. Being the last 'senior' person in line I am to take the responsibility. Another colleague who was previously in my department is out on a visit. Isn't it strange how crappy things tend to happen when you're in charge and there's no one to refer to? Now I know how it feels like.
And yet I'm able to write this entry.Huhuhu...Oi!!..I'm charge you know!! ;p

Trilogies of the Dragon Prequels.

2007-12-03T09:56:00.000+08:00

Here we go. I finally found out about the status of Dragons of Summer Flame. It’s actually the second part of another book called The Second Generation whereby it tells the story of the children of the companions (the original heroes from the first trilogy). This book comes after the first Chronicles trilogy (which I’ve just finished as mentioned in my previous post) and the Legends trilogy (which I’ve yet to start). Therefore in order to be reading the set in chronological order, the sequence would be, The Chronicles Trilogy, The Legends Trilogy, Second Generation, and then Dragons of Summer Flame. This set will also be followed by a long list of other Dragons novels which I won’t be mentioning here.

I also ended up buying Dragons of Dwarven Depths, the first of a three-part trilogy which fills in the gaps of the storyline from the first chronicles. So this is a twist to the first chronicles where the writers join the bandwagon of moving the storyline backwards. You know, like the Star Wars prequel thingee. In other words it’s a trilogy within a trilogy. Therefore instead of buying the Legends trilogy, I’ll still be within the first trilogy where another set of trilogies is made to fill in the stories in between. Simple yes? :) I know.I'm so good at explaining things...

Too Much Reading

2007-11-30T10:40:00.000+08:00

A few days ago I finished reading the first three parts of the Dragonlance novels, the Dragonlance Chronicles. Now I’m addicted to it and can’t wait to start on the next set of trilogy. I was browsing through websites and found out that there’s an addition to the set. A book entitled Dragons of Summer Flame. Now I’m kinda confused. I thought there were only three hence the term ‘trilogy’…Why was it put in the Chronicles list?…Maybe I should just go get it and finish it off first before moving on to the Legends Trilogy.

I also finished Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys. Neil always writes crazy stuff. That’s what I like about him. Currently trying to finish Terry Pratchett’s The Last Continent. Don’t like this one as much though. But will finish it before continuing with Dragonlance.

HDR Part Deux!

2007-11-29T22:01:00.001+08:00

I think I'm starting to become addicted to this HDR thingee...WooH!!..

HDR Photo Attempt!

2007-11-29T16:27:00.000+08:00

I was recently exposed by a type of photography called HDR (high dynamics range) from an art website. For those not in the know, HDR is done by making several snapshots of the same picture and giving them different exposures then combining them together to create a picture with cool color effects. Well at least that’s how I understand it. I then found out that you could create fake HDR photos by using only one picture! So what I did was I dug up a photo from last Hari Raya and tried it myself. Here’s what I got.

Ugh..sun in my eyes..

I think it’s not bad for an amateur. Has that Lord of the Rings atmosphere to it.Heh…

Of Day Jobs and No Job

2007-11-28T16:56:00.000+08:00

There are times when I feel totally puked out from my day job. I’m willing to bet everyone with day jobs (or even regular night jobs for that matter) has had this feeling. The main downer is that it totally takes up your time and energy. And by the time you get home and want to start doing something you really wanna do (like writing blogs or just rippin’ it on the electric guitar for instance) you’re already pooped. A common pattern that I’ve seen in people from my miniature scale observation is that those who really really enjoy their day jobs turn out to have no other life whatsoever. They tend to have no hobbies, less time for social life, and are downright boring. While those leading ‘double lives’ tend to be more interesting and have sides to them you never could have imagined existed. Most are also quite secretive towards their co-workers about their ‘alter-ego’ activities. My friends and I are guilty of all of the above.

What I’m trying to say is that I’m just pretty pissed sometimes when opportunities arrive for me to do something which concerns my interests and I’m just blocked by this great wall with a hip hop styled spray paint graffiti saying “YOU HAVE A DAY JOB” obstructing me from gaining that extra edge of experience and maybe even income. But hey, bills will still have to be paid right?....Bloody day jobs!...
Whatever...

Old Stuff New Stuff

2007-11-27T17:00:00.000+08:00

I bought Metallica’s S&M DVD the other day. Yes I know its quite dated but I decided to buy it because it had a special extra bonus version which contains some pretty cool features. I’ve actually seen the concert before when they aired it on TV years ago. Plus I also own the album so I just wanted to add it to my collection even though it’s not in my list of favored rock albums. Perhaps I should add to it.

Anyways, the bonus features documented rehearsals with the orchestra a few days before the show and interviews of the band and the late Michael Kamen. Another nifty feature was the audio setting where you could choose which parts to hear individually (the orchestra or the band). Listening to the orchestra alone reveals the parts that were added by Michael Kamen without the band. Even without James Hetfield’s vocals. By listening to the orchestra alone, I surprisingly found out that some songs had very few orchestra parts to them but had given a huge impact on the mood of the songs. Other than that it also contains the usual angle options view feature like most live DVD’s. Metallica’s songs are always good to hear…except for the new stuff….eekkh!!..

On a different note, last night I was hangin’ out with a friend who’s a freelance graphic designer and learned some pretty cool stuff on Adobe Illustrator. I was always familiar with Photoshop, never could figure out why I’d want to use Illustrator though. But last night he showed me what amazing stuff it could do (yes I know...I’m so behind with these things). So time to dig up those old sketches of mine and do some digital inking! Yeah!…

The Problem with Perfect People

2007-11-26T13:13:00.000+08:00

I don’t mean to be an academic writer, however this is how I feel and the method to express this sensation is believed to be the most polite and concise in conveying my views on the subject matter at the moment.

I am of the opinion (in fact, I know in actuality) that there is no such thing as the group of people mentioned in the above title. However I have experienced countless circumstances whereby people believing themselves as a portion of the abovementioned group, merely due to the fact that they are either more educated, have better financial backgrounds, more ‘experienced’, and/or simply having higher authority or ranking over others.

These people would generally give advice /opinions (which in actuality is more immediate to orders) to those whom they believe are of lesser value and standing than themselves. Another common characteristic is that they would give comments in ways that are considered improper and morally inappropriate, instantaneously causing mental and emotional indignity to the people at the receiving end. The concept of being morally inappropriate here would of course vary according to the different parts of societies all over the world.

It is human nature to be dependant upon others. Humans, having a strong social characteristic in nature have no choice but to adhere to their emotional needs for companionship, be it in the smallest pair, up to the biggest nations, or to the entire race as a whole. To maintain this societal strength however, the core element, which must be instilled, is respect. It is respect that holds nations together and it is also the lack thereof, which causes global discord. The ability to give (to a certain extent) respect to others or discriminating by varying the amount of respect given to a certain group of people is one of the main causes of societal breakdown. The people practicing this concept would inevitably belong to the group of people as mentioned in the title as ‘perfect’.

Perhaps the most prominent attribute of these ‘perfect people’ are their inability or maybe more precisely put as disability to accept their own transgressions. Methods of giving comments or suggestions, which are morally degrading are usually regarded as perfectly fine and accepted by this group of people, regardless of the fact that the dignity or pride of others have been marred in the process. These people should be taught the principal basics of being a human being which is that none of us are perfect. Whilst our intentions may be of genuine nature, it does not license us to morally degrade others. To accept one’s own wrongdoings is a pure virtue while to command while claiming that it is the only way or the perfect way merely because of higher ranking shows extreme lacking in the faculty of mind.
Nobody’s method is perfect. Accept it you fools.

2007-11-25T01:22:00.000+08:00

I found this and did it for fun.

31% Geek

Thank God I failed...

The Stand

2007-11-24T18:40:00.000+08:00

The last post was deleted due to its nonconformity and irrelevancy to the current situation.
In all, I'd rather be a struggling musician than a working stiff. Don't mind working, but not a stiff.

Thank you.

2007-11-19T14:26:00.000+08:00

THIS POST WAS DELETED

Of Mondays and Weekends

2007-11-12T20:25:00.000+08:00

I sms'ed my boss this morning and told her I'd be in late because we were having some plumbing issues in one of the bathrooms at home. I was to come in at 10.30 instead of the usual 8.30 . Wouldn't it be great if every Monday (or even everyday for that matter) could be like this one where I could move out of the house and reach the office in 15 minutes free from the 'bumper-car traffic sequence'? What a cool way to start off a week.

The weekend appointment with my dad and Rafik went well despite heavy evening rain. Rafik had previewed an almost completed mix of my 'Freedom' track. The mix is pretty tight at this point and it made me smile listening throughout the whole song. The most notable improvements were in the bass and rhythm guitars. The bass sounded strong and tight while the rhythm distortion guitars were wider and a lot less muddy. Will be bringing in another song next week to mix.

After that it was my dad's turn to discuss with Rafik on his children's song project. It will be a 10 song album and they both agreed that it would be produced at the studio instead of recording the tracks at home then bringing it over to his studio for mixing and mastering(such is the case with my album). They discussed the payments and we went home. Everyone was all smiles...

Pop's Project

2007-11-09T11:27:00.000+08:00

Yesterday afternoon while watching TV my dad suddenly asked me about my current CD project. He wanted to know about the studio and the payment details and what not. So I told him as much as I could. He told me that he's planning on doing a 10 song children's album and needs a decent professional studio with a reasonable price to do it in. It was offered by a government linked body and my dad was asked to produce it. So I arranged a meeting with Rafik at his studio this weekend together with my old man to discuss the details. A good chance to also check up on my "Freedom" track. Heh...

Come to think of it,I could actually finish up on another track and pass a second song to Rafik...hmm...

The Weekend

2007-11-05T12:38:00.000+08:00

Went to the movies with my girlfriend last night and saw 30 Days of Night. I was never a fan of horror movies but this was surprisingly one of the scariest vampire movies I’ve ever seen. This flick is a total departure from many other vampire movies where the vampires aren’t sexually inclined. Loved the fast action sequences. There was this one scene where one of the vampires chased a speeding pickup truck and leaped on top of it, trying to break the top off with the main characters inside (Eben and Stella if I’m not mistaken). It was all fast and shadowy. Awesome sequence. While all the vampires were just a total bad ass, one thing that bothered me was the lack of explanation on the origins of the vampires. They were merely rabid hounds with the intention to kill and feed. The makers even failed to tell the names of the vampires or their purpose. It was like these spooks had a personal vendetta against humans and destroyed the town in the end. (Don’t worry it’s not a spoiler). Still, an entertaining movie nonetheless.

On with my music, didn’t get any calls from Rafik regarding the song I gave him. Wasn’t actually expecting it as he had mentioned earlier that he would be quite busy this weekend. I was also busy ramming food down my throat attending post Eidul-Fitri open-house events. He’ll probably give me a buzz sometime this week. It’s cool.

Peace.

Pre-Mixing

2007-11-01T12:09:00.000+08:00

Tuesday night, I went over to sound engineer Rafik’s house to pass him the CD containing separate tracks to a song entitled ‘Freedom’. Earlier during the day Rafik told me he wasn’t feeling well so he wasn’t going to be in the studio that night.

I had actually planned to pass the CD for him to do some listening before doing the actual mixing but the meeting turned into sort of a pre-mixing session(while having drinks and ‘kuih raya’ mind you). Rafik gave me some nifty pointers on mixing and did some pre-tweaking on the bass and kick drums of the song. It was pretty cool to hear how a little tweakage in the right places could do so much to the song.

After sharing some ideas and taking loads of pointers, the meeting ended at around 11 o’clock. We agreed to meet again sometime this weekend for further mixing. I wasn’t too sure before but now I know the album’s in good hands.

Out…

2007-10-30T12:55:00.000+08:00

Alright! It's been a while since my last post. So here's a quick lowdown on things so far.
Most tracks for the album has been recorded however there are still a few songs which I haven't started at all due to the lack of manpower.
I've decided to go ahead with the mixing of completed tracks which was scheduled to start this week(more on this later). Plus, due to the financial circumstances which may be the similar issue lagging many other independent musicians, I've decided to mix the tracks either one song or two songs at a time(per month). This, unless I win the lottery,rob the local bank or jewellery store,borrow money from loan sharks,receive donations from TV3's "Bersamamu" program, would ultimately result in(again) the delay of the release of the said album..Not that anyone cares (BUT I DO GODDAMMIT!!..).
Enough of that.

The mixing for one of the completed tracks was initially scheduled on 28th of October however it was cancelled due to unavoidable circumstances. I spoke to the sound engineer yesterday and we agreed that I'll pass him the CD containing separate tracks of the song for him to do some listening previews "to get the feel of the song". The date for the actual mixing for the song will be decided later.

Well, I guess that's it. Don't feel like writing too much for now. Will keep you updated soon as the mixing starts.

Peace..

2007-09-04T15:56:00.000+08:00

Greetings…
Worked on some drum tracks for another song last night. Got halfway through. Went to bed at about 2.30am. Was almost late coming to work this morning. Was actually considering the idea of not coming ;p Splitting headache from lack of sleep….additional headache caused by work…some sleep would be heaven…and why the hell is the clock moving so slow?…Otherwise its all good. I love making music…

Out.

Merdeka Tech Talk

2007-09-03T17:21:00.000+08:00

Hi there friends. First off I’d like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy 50th Independence. MERDEKA!…
I took a few days off to finish some songs for the album. Two days ago my brother laid some bass tracks for one of the songs which he insisted on playing after watching me have a rough time on it :p
I never was a fan of my own bass playing. Other than that the overall recording process is going fine. Just that there will be an inevitable delay on the release as mentioned in my previous post.
Here’s a couple of pointers I’ve learned (the hard way) throughout the recording process:

i) Flawless tuning:-
It struck me that even the slightest variation in the tuning would ruin the entire song. Even if it only affects a single note of a melody or a chord, it tends to make me cringe every time the song is played for reviewing. Not that I’m stating the obvious, its just that a simple issue concerning such matter has a certain potential to make a huge impact on the whole mood of a song.

ii) Tone tweakage:-
Guitar tones will actually sound different when recorded directly as opposed to playing through an amplifier. My current method is to record directly to the PC via my multi effects preamp, then through a digital multitrack recorder, which also functions as a mixer. The reason for applying this method is quite obvious – I can’t afford a decent recording mic…yet :p I noticed that there may be a time where I’ve found an ass whippin’ tone after tweaking knobs on the multi effects pedal and playing through an amplifier, but the same setting will sound WAAAAY different when its recorded to the PC. My own guess is that it’s probably due to the amplifier’s characteristics, which has a substantial element in the sound of a certain tone. When recorded directly, that single chain (the amplifier) is omitted causing the overall tone to sound different. This is most probably why you would find in many DIY recording websites stating that miking an amplifier would be the preferred way to go in recording great guitar tones. Nevertheless I believe that it is not the only way to get awesome tone in recording. Many multi effects pedals on the market now has the amp-simulation setting which lets you trick (for lack of a better word) the listener to thinking that you’re using a certain type of expensive amplifier. The results of these built in amp-simulators are in fact quite convincing. But then again, this is just from my own observation. My solution – set up my gear as I would for recording prior to tweaking the knobs to get my desired tone.

Enough tech talk, on a lighter note, Kiko Loureiro is coming to town! I know that unless you’re a guitar enthusiast, most of you guys in Malaysia are probably going – Kiko who? Isn’t that a brand name for kids apparel? Haha..!
Well for those of you not in the know, Kiko Loureiro is actually a guitarist from the power metal band ANGRA from Brazil. Aside from being an axeman for the band, Kiko is also an accomplished instrumental guitarist with several albums in his portfolio. Check out his website here - www.kikoloureiro.com.br . Anyways, he’ll be in Kuala Lumpur on the 11th of September at 7.30pm to do a guitar clinic (check out the poster). Passes will be at RM30 if I’m not mistaken. Not sure if I’ll be going though. Just too damn busy…

Later..peace.

Precious Time

2007-08-03T12:14:00.000+08:00

Alright! It's now August and the recording process is going... well...quite slow actually. I've been facing several technical issues while recording which at times requires me to redo everything from the start. But I'm guessing these technical glitches are all part and parcel of the whole "...fine f***k that I'm gonna do my own independent album..." thing. I spoke to a sound engineer the other day and he shared some technical tips which was very useful. Will definitely have the whole thing mixed and mastered at his studio(with me at the sides asking silly questions and poking my itchy little fingers at the controls).

Another pickle I'm currently dealing with is the time factor. Due to the fact that the processing studio will be jam packed in the coming months and that Ramadhan is just around the corner, there's a possibility that the album release will be pushed back towards the end of the year. Not because the month of Ramadhan halts the whole recording process completely, it's just that the studio will probably be open for shorter hours(or so I've been told by the sound engineer's cousin). Basic tracks will still be recorded at my home studio and due to the abovementioned technical glitches, what was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of August could probably be extended well into early September. But I guess delays are just one of the several issues that we all have to deal with. Even with proper management, at times things are just bound to go wrong which slows down the whole process.Well that's it for now.Will keep you updated in the future.

Peace..

Huh?...Uhm...All Systems Go!

2007-07-11T23:30:00.000+08:00

Greetings.I've been planning to write stuff on this here blog space thingy but haven't had the time (nor the ideas) to share.Well, until recently of course. After several attempts at opening my account, I was totally surprised to see the numbers on the meter had significantly increased since my last visit. Unless there's some kind of error occuring in the counter, I'm guessing that at some point, someone had either by mistake or accident had come across this little spot of mine and saw nothing but that funky picture of me doing that 'terkangkang' pose in outer space. So, I finally decided to take a chance and write something just in case some other poor sap would stumble upon my spot again and by some miraculous accident or alignment of stars and planets in the universe, reads whatever I post and find it amusing.

Anyways, as if the picture didn't give it off already, I'm actually a musician/guitarist(or still trying to be one at least). Back in 2003 (or was it 2004?..shoot I can't remember but who cares) I recorded about 5 songs (3 guitar instrumentals and 2 with my own vocals), 2 of which I had finally decided to share with the public by sending them over to those happenin' fellas at http://www.musiccanteen.com/. The songs are still available for downloads if I'm not mistaken. So after a few years down the road (and better gear to record with) I thought I'd give it a whirl and do a proper independent album. The album would be totally of instrumental rockin' guitar type (i hope :/) and would consist of about 10 songs. After doing the math and scraping around the house and under the couch for some extra change, I guess I have to face the facts that the album will most probably have 8 songs due to the financial constraint. The songs which I have just completed writing will be recorded sometime this week and hopefully will be finished by the end of August(is that possible?).

So there it is. A little something of what I do and will be doing. For those who don't know me, welcome aboard and I'll keep you updated on the progress of my little project.So uhm...all systems GO!