OakSongs 162/500

Date: 28th Feb 2010

Loc: Polymath & Crust, a.k.a. Books Actually.......on Club Street

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23 March 2010 01:58 hrs

Actually did not intend to put any words with this post because nothing needs to be said or written. The pictures above of the OakSongs package speak for itself!

Enjoy the songs (they were the essence of what local alternative folk rock was and still is all about), use your imagination.....shrink yourself to fit into the box (learn from Alice in Wonderland, perhaps) and see what ths piece of art is all about. Size doesn't matter, Substance does!

But seeing things small is sure a good change from the Big-Bigger-Mega concept of today's world and maybe we are all seeing things too big or too far ahead and missing the small things around us that really matters. No one is bigger than life itself.

I only realize minutes ago that my little blog post got linked on Humpback Oak's facebook and "Jeff" and "Elizabeth" (whoever they may be) like the pictures/post. Thank you "Jeff", thank you "Elizabeth" and thank you most of all, Humpback Oak -- for keeping the spirit alive and proving once again that you don't need a label to release your own records!

MY FIRST COMPACT DISC (circa. 1989)

The very first CD I owned was Technique by New Order back in 1989 purchased from Cost Plus at Scotts. It was purchased with a friend's credit card together with a Sony CD Player. That was how my brush with the age of digital music began.

Some things just defies any explanation, call it coincidence or something. Memories were recalled when I happened to re-listen to 2 tracks from Technique today - "All The Way" & "Love Less". They still sounded as fresh as they were back in 1989, this is the yardstick I use to define music as classic collectibles that are age-defiant.

I first bumped into New Order oddly enough in Taiwan R.O.C. during an army attachment. "Love Vigilantes" came on the radio and I was immediately hooked because it was like "a breath of fresh air" from the numbing pop music that were played to death repeatedly over the Singapore airwaves. At that time I knew not a thing about Joy Division, Ian Curtis or the cult classic - "Blue Monday", all of which I went backwards and pick up the history. This is the magic of music and the education you get digging deeper.

In 1989 there was no internet to search for the lyrics and artistes rarely print the lyrics on the CD cover. Nevertheless the words heard in "All The Way" & "Love Less" remained stuck in my memory and funnily enough they do have some direct reflections to what I have experienced since 1989........

There was a time I call before

When all I knew was what I saw

I worked hard

To give you all the things that you need

And almost anything that you see

I spent a lifetime working on you

And you won't even talk to me

Can't you see

Why don't you look at me

It's not your right to be

So much my enemy

I knew that I could never give

You knew that you could not forgive

No price or pride would fall before

A ten foot wall without a door

But you know

I watch every step that you make

To find some other fool you can take

And I don't know why I even try

Because it all comes down to this

Can't you see

Why don't you look at me

It's not your right to be

So much my enemy

Can't you see

Why don't you look at me

It's not your right to be

So much my enemy

I worked hard

To give you all the things that you need

And almost anything that you seeI spent a lifetime working on you

And you won't even talk to me

.................. from "Love Less"

It doesn't take a genius

To tell me what I am

Or lecture me with poetry

And tell me that I can

I don't remember

What happened yesterday

But I don't give a damn about

What all those people say

It takes years to find the nerve

To be apart from what you've done

To find the truth inside yourself

And not depend on anyone

It takes years to find the nerve

To be apart from what you've done

To find the truth inside yourself

And not depend on anyone

It don't take no Houdini

To tell me what I am

Parasites and literasites

They'd burn me if they can

But I don't give a damn about

What those people say

They pick you up and kick you out

They hurt you every day

It takes years to find the nerve

To be apart from what you've done

To find the truth inside yourself

And not depend on anyone

It takes years to find the nerve

To be apart from what you've done

To find the truth inside yourself

And not depend on anyone

It takes years to find the nerve

To be apart from what you've done

To find the truth inside yourself

And not depend on anyone

It takes years to find the nerve

To be apart from what you've done

To find the truth inside yourself

And not depend on anyone

............. from "All The Way"

FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD BIRDS

.....not only talks but also likes being scratched behind the head too!

BALI BEAUTIFUL......words not required.

BUZZCOCKS AT ZIRCA 27th Nov 2009

A buzzing good time with the Buzzcocks!

THINKING OF YOU

I keep thinking of you
You're on my mind
For the fifty-seven thousandth time this morning
I keep seeing you in sheets of white
I can't change anything
I can't change
Anything - Anything

I was out on my own
For the first time
It was here all alone, that I cracked
Now it won't happen again
Til the next time
Now I think I can do this all by myself

I've been thinking of you a lot this morning
For the fifty-seven thousandth time today
I will see you in pictures
Dressed as I am
I can't change anything
I can change
Anything - Anything

I would like to tell you
Where I'm going to
I've seen it before
I've seen it before
I would like to tell you
This is not about you
I've seen it before
I've seen it before

I've been thinking of you
You're on my mind

(Thinking of You - Pete Yorn)

IKEA

It has been a long while since I last visited an IKEA store. Went to one 2 weekends ago to look for a simple dining set and this was what I ended up with:

At only $125, I think it is hard to beat in terms of value and practicality.

Where else but IKEA that one could look at the item, pick it up from the racks, pay at the counter, brings it home and have a dining set fully assembled in an instant and ended up a totally satisfied customer?

IKEA thinks about the customer experience in its product design as its starting point, that I think is their forte all these years.

The dining set above took me less than half an hour to fix it all up and I ended up feeling so great to have a dining set that is nice to sit on and easy to clean (it's a tempered glass top) and could also be used as a working table!

I do not think there is any kind of mega store that could engage a customer to walk through its entire store and not feel bored. That is the IKEA experience that sets it apart from the rest. The layout of the store and the flow from one theme to the next is seamless and kinda inspires the customer with ideas to re-decorate one's home!

IKEA to me represents IDEAS and INSPIRATION.

"IKEA : INSPIRING IDEAS" - that would be quite some tagline!

GOSH! WAS IT REALLY 20 YEARS AGO?

Caught the Pixies on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien over the weekend on CNBC where they were in the midst of their "Doolittle Live 2009" sellout tour of the USA celebrating the 20th anniversary of their classic "Doolittle" album.
Was it really 20 years ago? How time flies but the music remains the same.

What I remember about "Here Comes Your Man" will always be the numerous mention of "box car"....may be referring to a tiny small car or may be the old classic Mini or maybe something kids made with a wooden box with rollers???

Here it is on The Tonight Show, brings back so much memories.......


They have also released a free live E.P. for download:

Doolittle 20th Anniversary Live E.P.
1. Dancing the Manta Ray
2. Monkey Gone To Heaven
3. Crackity Jones
4. Gouge Away

5.12 REDUX - A passing glimpse.......

.....bad roads that narrowed to single lanes and traffic jams.

........houses submerged in water.

.....torn bridges, roads blocked by avalanches rendered unpassable.

....temporary housing stll being used.

....on-going road repairs, seems never-ending.

......a slalom of a ride!

......boulders all around.....a reminder.

成都 - The one thing that I will missed the most......

..........will be these fellas!

,,,,enjoying their pet food.

.....playful as kids!

.....being comfortable, come what may!

Do Not DIsturb!.......Panda in zzzerious meditation.

Probably the most carefree creatures in the whole universe and a pleasure to watch from such close proximity. Never fails to amuse visitors with their playfulness and clumsiness, and it all comes naturally for them without even trying!
I lost my beloved HTC Touch 3G on the bus returning from Jiuzhaigou and was a wee bit down but these fellas cheered me up almost instantly!
It was not so much about the physical phone but more importantly the data inside and the contacts of new friends I made on this trip! I blame myself for my over-reliance on modern tech and not having the discipline to backup my data, so I have to live with and learn from this episode.
One thing is for sure, it made me realise that material things are just what they are and there is no need for any attachment to them. Instead what one should treasure are the intangibles which could not be easily replaced, replicated and easily lost forever.

FROM BICYCLES TO BYE-CYCLES.

The tricycle was used by my youngest one and the one with the training wheels was used by my eldest. The child seat used to be mounted on the back of the bike which I used.
All these were left unused for a long period of time and I even had 2 notices (from the town council)to remove them from the common area.
How time flies indeed and barely noticing how the kids have all grown out of these bikes!
Today I managed to locate the long-lost key to the locks that chained up the bikes. A rag-and-bone man weighed these bikes (and the chain and locks too!) according to scrap metal value and I ended with about 7 bucks for the lot! The man mentioned that currently metals have more value than newspapers in terms of recycling.
In the end it was a win-win situation for both of us - me disposing of the bikes that were supposed to be removed from the common area and the rag-and-bone man having the metals for recycling. Rarely do win-win situation exists in business but this is as close as it gets! In business it is not really win-win but how far each party wanted to compromise, the same applies to any dispute/arguments/disagreements etc.
Ironically, I swore that the rag-and-bone man looked awfully familiar.... like we were from the same secondary school or something like that.

The Great Spy Experiment - Wasted

A preview of The Great Spy Experiment's album-in-the-works. With Electrico's gradual disintegration from a 5 piece to a 3 piece, GSE may well become Singapore's foremost band. They had the best potential among the current batch of bands.

I think there is still a chronic problem with the local English music scene, after so many years, primarily the lack of local support and bands running out of time trying to make a decent success for being original. I salute those bands which keep perservering despite the odds. I do not think they will ever get the kind of recognition remaining in this place, the only way to make a breakthrough may be beyond these shores............if that day ever arrives, the biggest loss ironically may be this country, for not having an environment that nurtures local music.

While waiting for that day to come.........enjoy while we can, such little gems:

from "Saving Charmaine – Live Your Life 2009" Concert 26 July 2009 @Zouk

IN THE MORNING.........

........at the KLCC

Finally, FINALLY made it up to the Petronas Twin Towers' skybridge after so many years trippin' this city. In truth nothing spectacular other than the scale of the construction and the techonologies used. The view looks far better from the ground upwards than from the bridge downwards.