Fresh Off The Shelf

So, It’s 1:31am, Monday, 5th of May 2008. I’m sitting on my chair, ranting.
This post is going to stretch quite a fair bit, as i have quite the load of things to talk about.
Well then, where shall i start. Let’s begin things with the things that happened in school.
Lessons were as tiring as usual though there are modules which were pretty interesting.
Electronic Design Automation is shit. Seriously.  As interesting as it may seem. The work involved is
just pure insanity. It is practically impossible to finish within a session. Well, unless if one is a really quick and focused, the job would be done at the moment lesson ends.
Coming to kendo. The juniors have arrived. As expected of any CCA, the turnout for the first session was pretty big. Subsequently, the numbers dropped as the weeks go by. Club crawl was really fun by the way. Although, it really SUCKED to miss lessons. I guess that is all i would talk about for school. Don’t really feel like ranting on and on about school anyways. Come to think of it there is actually one thing that i should talk about. It’s the rubbish bin !! Well, i know you all might be thinking now, why the heck would you talk about the rubbish bin!? Pretty absurd right? Just the opposite. My kendo trainings are Mondays and Fridays. So, it was this particular Friday, I noticed the rubbish bin. It was so full to the point that trash had to be put on top of it and even around it. The trash were all drink packets/cans that the good sportsmen/women of NYP have left.
The Trash:

Beautiful ain’t it. Ha.

Next up, guitar maintenance!!
For the past 3 years now, i have been re-stringing my guitar on my own. Learned it all via the good old internet, with its ever so reliable source of information on all things good and bad. =]
So, at some point, one would really feel the glory and sense of achievement of being able to re-string his/her instrument. And so I’ve done a re-stringing job on my Mustang recently.
Perfection was the only word used to describe this round of maintenance.
The Bound Of Perfection =]

Something that could have almost ended in tragedy for my Mustang happened a few days ago.
I guess I’ll have to change my gigbag. I’ve ordered one RDM Duo anyways. Heh.
And so to the matter at hand. My old rockbag, i washed it about 2 weeks back and still has yet to dry.
I wouldn’t have realized this until i took out my Mustang about 4 days back. It had condensation on the body, the neck pickup was “popped”, screws were rusted, strings were rusted, it was just a horrific sight to see.
Immediately, i took a cloth and wiped it dry. I dissembled the guitar, cleaning the guitar thoroughly. I was almost at a complete lost of what to do. After a moment, with thoughts collected, first things first. I went to care for the neck first, checking if it is warped in anyway then applying a quick coat of lemon oil.
After the neck was done, i went on to the main body. Wiped the screws with WD-40 and oiled any parts that needed it. It was a fortunate thing, that i paid attention to Beez when I brought my guitar for maintenance that I wasn’t really confident to do it myself. I had to change one of the guitar’s pickup. So, carefully i de-soldered the damaged pickup, and slowly put in the spare one. At first, i was worried about the configuration as the spare pickup was meant for the bridge. By putting it in, it would mean a bridge-bridge configuration, the sound and tone would then be questionable. But i really didn’t have a choice so i carried out the “operation”. When everything was done, i assembled the guitar back together and re-stringed it with a fresh set of D’Addarios .10s
I looked at my Mustang, and heaved a big sigh of relieve. I had successfully “saved” the guitar from what could have ended in a disaster. The output jack needs replacement though.
I could be a guitar repair/maintenance guy in the future o0 ha.
Right, moving on. I’ve actually placed an order for a Fender Japan Telecaster about 2 weeks back. She arrived on Friday, 2nd May, 2008, 10am. I couldn’t be there to see it and I didn’t expect it as i was already school at 8am. So, when i returned home, tired and totally worn out from kendo, i dragged my bogu bag to my maid’s room and asked her to wash the gi and hakama as always and asked her if my package arrived. She nodded sleepily. My eyes opened immediately. For the record, I’ve been asking my maid every single day whenever i returned from school whether my package has arrived. And so, i quickly went upstairs and saw the big box lying on my bed. I was extremely excited.
The Box:

And there it was lying inside, my new Fender Japan Telecaster 62′Reissue with Texas Special Pickups.
The reason why i bought this, the tone of the telecaster is something that really appealed to me and proves to be excellent in the application of post rock. Adding to the already big plus, it features a very very very sexy double bond on the body which will be shown in the later pictures. Moreover, it also features an alder body and compliments to the telecaster’s already excellent tone. This guitar would be the guitar i would keep stock for quite a while. I was thoroughly impressed and proved that it was a really worthwhile buy.

Further Unpacking:

Almost there…

Beautiful.

Now, i have 2 beauties as my workhorses for my music making, who knows probably my money making tools as well (laughs in a sarcastic way)
The money spent and the waiting I’ve been through was really worthwhile.
I’m aiming for the Telecaster Thinline next. But, that would be a pretty long time before I place the order.
Well, till next time. If you do have some free time guys visit -> http://www.myspace.com/weareavis
My band’s originals are up!! Check them out when you can!!
Cheers!

In your friendly neighbourhood there is….

Ang Mo Kio. A busy little district tucked in the north-east region of Singapore. In this humble heartland, residents have seen decades of change. From the wet markets that used to be in the area, mega structures now erect from the ground ala AMK HUB. Now, im not here to rant about the history of Ang Mo Kio and whatnots, but the happenings after school. So in this little heartland getaway, at the hawker centre beside the AMK HUB lies a little elevator with the capacity of 3 up to the maximum of 5 individuals. Where does it lead to? A KTV lounge and snooker. Typical neighbourhood pastimes. Chill.
It’s got what i call an intense atmosphere. The smoky air in an air conditioned environment, filled with ABALs, but i may percieve wrongly =x
Dim lights, and an almost hostile environment yet i could still find a small tinge to feel that it is at the least bit friendly. Mainly cause there is Mr.Quek and Mr.Aaron. So we played pool and they taught me the finer details of the game; posture, angles, terminologies etcetc. Of the years(well maybe since secondary 2 i think) i played pool, never was i presented with these set of tips they set me thinking and working on. Well this calls for more practice. Thanks Quek and Aaron of the great learning session. But of course, studies are still of utmost priorty. I guess i could take a just a little breather since most of the projects are done and over with. Only one that is left and am currently working on is the C# programming project.
Laurent has just bought the Zoom H2 handy digital recorder. Now, hopefully, we can get decent sound files for our originals.
I guess thats about it for this rant, now on to C# and final exams studies!!
To the users of the toilets in AMK HUB, for the love of god…AIM!! =.=
Cheers.

Woot

Well well, it’s been a long time since the last update. School has been pretty fast paced since it started. Cropped with kendo sessions and lessons week after week, everything just passes me by so quickly. My god, i have a feeling this is going to be a long post. The common test just passed by. I have confidence i would pass every paper this time =.=
Studied pretty much a hell lot for maths. Ive recently went on a DJMAX rampage. With the ever increasing number of PSPs and everyone having DJMAX in it, i just couldn’t resist =]
The sinful pleasures of playing a reaction time cum coordination game. I can’t wait till i get mine >_<
Come to think about it, at this very moment as i type this rant/blog, i am thinking of the events that happened and was rant worthy. Maybe i should just start with the most recent of events. The bi-annually kendo grading has just ended on Sunday the 16 of December 2007. It was a serious event i would say. I’d say i felt pretty relaxed and just a bit tensed at the point. Kept my focus and just went for it, shouting at the top of my lungs, doing the cuts as instructed. At the end of it all, i was pretty happy with my results. My whole group got 6th Kyu! 6th Kyu for the win lar !!
Made a new friend in the process. Mr. Sasaki. A St’Pat’s guy, at Sec 2 coming Sec 3 next year. A pretty easy going person to talk to, and well i think he can be quite hyper o.0
That aside, Youth tournament camp is just next week. Crossing fingers that i won’t get K’Oed.
Ok so what’s next…..hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…….. if you thought that was to waste space to make it longer……………..well it’s really up to your vividly wild and amazing imagination =]
Ah yes, just bought the MG Destiny Gundam. It’s a real beauty i tell you. Right now, i have just done up the Body, Right arm without the shoulder unit and the Head. Long way to go. Im going to make this real nice and smooth looking, hence taking my time to do it up slowly. Pictures of it will be at the end of this maybe or maybe not extremely long post of various events of my miserable little life xDD P.S I am not Emo. Thank you very much. xD MEZOR AVATAR OF POSITIVITY =]
I just bought my high end patch cables for my pedal board. Ai say, it’s looking real professional. Everything is very neat. I love my board.
I am so fucking tempted to get a Xbox 360 solely for Ace Combat 6, such a fabulous game.
Buying buying buying…..ah yes. Another new item i acquired is the Command and Conquer, Saga.
It is a collection of 13 games. From the very first command and conquer all the way to very recent, Tiberium Wars.
It just brings back so much fond memories of how i was contented with simple yet ferociously addictive RTS games.
Not to mention, Tiberium Wars is of course fantastic. Good job Westwood Team although now under EA.
I have to say this though, this game would require a pretty powerful processing unit to run this game with full graphical capability, and optimum speed.
Another recent event, i just got my guitar fitted with the zvex fuzz factory, which in the past i had to stuck it on the guitar.
Now, it built in, internally. Godlike guitar is. mmm the force is strong with this one feel I xD
The knobs are all conviniently placed for my ease of use and theres a very nice bright blue LED to indicate whether the effect is engaged. Again, pictures will be at the end of the rant.
I wonder if there is anything else rant worthy. How about this for one, for all NYP students, here thee here thee. The snack store beside the drinks store at the south canteen sells fantastic hot dog buns. Cheesy hot dogs in a nicely fried bun. Heavenly. Coming to band updates now. My band has pretty much done quite a few originals. 6 up to date. 4 of them are still under heavy arrangement while the 2 are almost done with only lyrics left to write.
Hyperion has a GIG!! Coming this 29th December at DXO esplanade. Whoever is interested to come, contact me!! @ 96839080 for tickets. 1 ticket is priced at $12. I pray and hope for your support! Thank you.
I wonder if i mentioned anything about the Rubik’s craze going on. Recently, many people have started to pick up the cube again, including myself. Right now, i am able to solve it in under 2mins. =]
Walking around, ive seen many people playing with the cube as they walk. There are those that even have the 4×4 and 5×5.
The cube is a pretty amazing toy i would say. Works the brain at the same time amazing those who watch the puzzle solvers. Good job Prof.Rubik
I wonder if i have covered everything that i needed to rant. I hope i did =/
Gah, i still have my creativity and innovation project to do up, DE as well, and oh what the fuck English “GameShow” oh what the fuck =.=
I like the month of december, constant rainfall. Nice and cooling. I like.
Well i guess thats about it. Finishing the rant with some pics. 2 of which are relevant, and i may put in some random stuff,
haha Cheers!



I feel like having some onigiri all of a sudden =]
Yar Nasu, i was again lazy to press the publish button xD
Cheers.

Update At Last!

Hoho, it’s been a while since the last update. My exams have just ended yesterday. So, now im taking the time to chill a little. Well, i guess it’s really the time now to talk about the CCA im attending in NYP. It is none other than kendo. Joined the CCA late june i think(can’t remember =x) due to my guitar lessons that clash with kendo’s timing. But unexpectedly my guitar lessons ended due to the lack of students, thus they had to dissolve the class. Dissolve meaning no more class, not soaking students in acid xD ok please ignore the random statement =.=
Anyways, back to kendo.. It’s one heck of a CCA and of course no regrets joining as i have all along wanted to join this great CCA. This i honestly say is the first ever martial art i have taken up. It requires heck load of discipline, patience, training, perserverence and hard work. Met a lot of new friends, learnt a lot about kendo and trained a lot. “

Kendo (剣道, kendō^?), or “way of the sword“, is the martial art of Japanese fencing. Kendo developed from traditional techniques of Japanese swordsmanship known as kenjutsu.

Kendo values with sporting-like physical elements. is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial artsPractitioners of kendo are called kendoka (one who practices kendo) or kenshi (swordsman).
Kendo is “played” by kendoka, wearing traditionally styled clothing and protective armour (bogu), using a shinai or two as weapons. Kendo may be seen as a Japanese style of fencing. The movements in kendo are different to European fencing because the design of the sword is different, as is the way it is used. Kendo training is quite noisy in comparison to other martial arts or sports. This is because kendoka use a shout, or kiai, to express their spirit and when a strike or cut is performed, the front foot contacts the floor in a motion similar to stamping.

Around eight million people world-wide practice kendo with approximately seven million in Japan.
Kendo is one of the Japanese budo and embodies the essence of Japanese fighting arts.
This should give the basic gist about kendo =]
Can’t wait for my bogu to arrive xD. Cant wait to spar too!!

Moving on, after my purchase of the mustang, i had a few things that had to be set right.
Won’t go into much details. So i decided to pay uncle Beez a visit. Now, for those that do not know, he is THE man to approach all things guitar/bass. He has been working in this sector for more than 40 years if my sources are right heh. So if you need changing of parts, maintainence etc, he is the man to seek. He does things so professionally!!
Changed the stock pups(pickups) on the guitar to a set of Seymour Duncan Cool Rails. Really hot pair of pups if i should say so myself. The tonal properties are much more wide now and the sound has really opened up. 2 words…FUCKING SWEET!!

Can’t wait to jam with this mighty stallion. mmm She is really beautiful now =]
And so now starts the 1.5 month long break. Wonder if there’s any gigs to do…haha
Many things will be happening actually, weekly kendo trainings and kendo camp o.0 woot.
I pray my results will be okay.
I guess that’s pretty much i can really blog about now xD
Cheers.

A Situation

Nanyang Polytechnic, it’s quite an awesome place, with nice facilities, and all. But, there is one situation that really should be handled for the sake of the school’s population. Canteens and food courts are getting overcrowded because of the increased intake every year. Somehow the large crowd really makes me lose my appetite.  I was at this dialog with the directors of the school not long ago. Most of the students that were present commented about the situation of the canteens. And well, it seemed that the biggest problem is with the variety of food and places to settle down. For me, i’m more concerned about the seats in each canteen; food court; etc; . I just hope i don’t starve =P

Welcome To Nanyang Polytechnic

Alright, so i mentioned in my earlier post that i have got into NYP to do a diploma in Electronics, Computer and Communications Engineering.

It has been, 4days approx. that i have been studying. Poly life is really different, too different at some extent. I even dare say the freedom is frightening at times. The learning system in poly is really interesting especially since my class and another class are in this program called the “Mpowered” program where learning goes Online. My classmates are really a lively bunch, and only one particular fellow i really don’t favor. I would describe him as a over-the-top egoistic retard. He is just too bloody proud of himself. He would crumble one day. Back to the “Mpowered” program, it’s like everyone has to own a laptop to fully utilize the program. Assignments can even be handed up to the teacher online, how convinient.

The modules that i take are really interesting, except for maths that is. Modules like analog electronics, really cool stuff. Looking at the later chapters, it even includes amplifier technology. Neat.  I have in all 7 modules this semester. A year has 2 semesters. 6 core modules and 1 complementary course. Poly life has something which i consider really strict, which is their attendence. Remember the days, in secondary school where your attendence supposedly affects your conduct only, well in poly it affects your overall grade. Turning up in class is a DAMN good thing as it contributes to the overall GPA. So, missing a class would be very fatal because some modules dont have much lessons in a semester and the attendence cannot fall below 85%, so below 85%, that’s it you are considered module failed. So i will not miss a day at school =x

Poly life is pretty much time management emphasized. Management of all areas really have to be done well so as not to overstress thyself.

I guess there’s still much to learn and do. It is only day 5 in school. The canteen is not really bad at all. Except for some. Talking about food, I have been around the place and i so far know that theres a south and north canteen, food junction, and a Macs which is a hotspot for the students.

The campus is pretty huge, it is a fortunate thing that all my classes are within close proximity, so i won’t have to walk so far to the next class. The only thing i’m worried about is lessons that are held at lecture halls. Really crappy because of the tapping card system. Every student in NYP has a student card, and it’s suppose to be used for taking attendence when a lesson is at a lecture hall. Theres a time frame to tap the card. If exceeded, a student will be considered absent. So i think black and white on paper is still the best.

Well I THINK that’s about all i can cover for now in my few days at school. Got to rush through some work and notes now.