Instead of spending the spare hours on revision for the upcoming tests next week, i ended up reading comics online. Well, i’m not exactly an anime/manga fan and i guess the only set of comics which i used to collect when i was younger was just “Street Fighters” series. Haha. I then began reading “Suzuka” when my army friends were circulating the comic books around the bunk during NS days, and from that day onwards, i was one of the few people around who got stuck to that comic. HAHA. Anyhow, the few hours online yesterday allowed me to finish the comic and i have so much to say about it!Well, most of you might find it strange that I’m actually reading sucha comic since the first impression of most people would be that it’s a typical “girls” comic relating to romance. Ar well, i guess the plot of the comic was pretty interesting in the beginning until........
The story’s basically about this teenage guy Yamato who moved into Tokyo to pursue his high studies, and then meets this girl named Suzuka along the way. Being infatuated with her at first sight and after finding out she’s in the track and field team in the same school, he decided to seize the opportunity to join in as well. Well, luckily for this guy, he happened to have the flair for sprinting and thus many of the track and field team members looked up to him as a potential talent in the school. So book1 of the comic till about book10 or so describes the various events that happened over the years in school i.e how the friendship between Suzuka and Yamoto turned from hatred to good friends, and then subsequently became lovers despite facing with many difficulties initially.
I guess the interesting part of reading this comic would be reading about their teenage romance that blossomed over the years and how they worked hard in their sports to achieve their goals and dreams. HOWEVER, the plot just collapsed towards the END of the comic!! ARGHG.. I guess the author was in a rush to end this story abruptly and thus coming up with some stupid event to settle it once and for all. ( If u wanna read this comic, then STOP reading the following content below cause i’m gonna whine about the lousy ending )
I was expecting the ENDING to be something like... “despite the both of them breaking up and then patching up together again after a year because they still like each other, they worked even harder in their studies(cause they are aiming to go to the same university together) and perhaps succeed in achieving their goals in the sport.... n maybe some years later, they are still together and they get married and they live happily after.”
NOOOO. I was wrong. It turned out this way:
Yamoto(the horny guy) needs his satisfaction and F**Ks Suzuka(they were 18 then) right after they got together, and then the unfortunate thing was that Suzuka got pregnant on their 1st experience. ( Yamoto’s so efficient manz.. -_-“ ). In the end, Yamoto decided to be responsible for it and intends to marry Suzuka (i commend his responsible actions since he caused it). Thus, both of them decided to keep the baby and they gave up the chance to pursue their university studies and their dreams of excelling in their sports and probably representing at a National Level (sprinting and high jump respectively). By 19, their kid was born and they lived happily after with their friends being supportive and alongside with them throughout. THE END.
Well, i guess this sound pretty much like a normal and good ending to some of you out there but i felt it was pretty disappointing. I mean, after following up with this comic for almost a year, and with so much talk about their ideal dreams and goals in their lives in the previous chapters, i was expecting to read about some form of success which they had achieved at the end of it. Ultimately, none of this happened. Both stopped studying halfway, gave up their favourites and passion for the sport and probably struggled hard financially to keep the family going. (Although it wasn’t really touched on by the author in the comic). Oh well. Maybe I’m just prejudiced against the idea of early marriage. Hahaha.
Okay , So what’s the lesson that can be learnt from here (for GUYS):
“ IF YOU REALLY NEED TO DO IT, USE A CONDOM.”
Lolz.
Firstly, i would like to apologise for the long hiatus in updating this blog. While laziness was one of the reasons why nothing new was updated here, the main reason was also because this stupid blog always fails to save my entry halfway through while typing i.e. it fails to connect to blogger.com halfway n I can’t save my freaking entries. So the followings are some of the summarised updates which have been happening.
NBS Dinner and Dance’07
This was held at Good Wood Park Hotel and i must say it was quite fun overall (Except for the saboh-ed dancing session on stage ) and guess wad, my OG’s pageant girl – Shari won the NBS Pageant Queen! Cheers for her hard work put in and she has done our OG proud!
Hall Dinner and Dance ‘07
The dinner and dance was themed “Movies”, so we were allowed to wear any form of costumes and Hollywood-themed kind of attires. As my Hall’s OG people are pretty reluctant (including myself) about renting costumes (S$35) just for the night, we decided to go for simplicity – Secret Agents Attire.... lolz. I would say the programmes were more entertaining compared to NBS’s DnD, but i could have enjoyed myself further on the DND and food if not for my sudden food poisoning which happened. Sigh and that deprived me of eating all the nice delicacy served that night. =( . Well well, who would have expected that i was lucky enough to be in the OG where my OG’s pageant girl actually won! Hahaz... Congrats to Jing Ying and i think she deserved it for her hard work that night!
Uni and Hall Life
Uni life has been F**ked up so far. Ok i meant the studying part. Yes, somehow or rather, i don’t seem to be able to do well as expected so far and studying has been stressful so far! I’m not used to consistent studying and i can barely catch up with my work. However on a bright side, Hall life has been fruitful and fun most of the times. Apart from the fact that it’s kind of difficult to study at times (because of distractions to play or eat supper instead of sitting down to study) but i guess it made my uni life more interesting! All the late-time suppers, talk cock sessions, sports, birthday tekan sessions and major hall events are what that really brings us (hall12 residents) together as one family. =)
NBS Night Cycling’07
This is indeed the first time participating in night cycling since my parents would never ever let me cycle out in the NIGHT in the past, thus i thought this night cycling trip was pretty much quite an experience. I guess most people didn’t really enjoy much about the cycling part,(since our butts were aching more than anything else) but rather more of the opportunity to be able to meet up as an OG and mingle back like old times during FOC... haha. How fun.
Ming Ming’s 21St Birthday
Kelvin(aka Ming Ming) was the first official person in our OG whom we celebrated his bday in hall, so his celebration turned out to be quite an eye-opener since we prepared a bday surprise party for him, as well as a “camouflaged” kind of tekan session where we pooled him and made him look like an army personal AGAIN. Lolz.
Till then... i shall update again IF i can! =)
IBANEZ JS100 ELECTRIC GUITAR
Unfortunately, because of the fact that this guitar has a special unique locking device on the strings, I'm totally at a loss on how to tune the strings properly as the tunings run whenever i try to tune other strings. (I even broke 1 of the strings on 1 occasion when i didnt realise i was suppose to loosen the locking device.lolz). Thus, Im gonna consult Justin about it this weekend! Till then. STAY ROCKx. =)
* NTU HALL12 CAMP 2007 - SHERLOCK HOLMES *
My 21st Birthday Celebration
Celebrated my birthday on the 28th of July at NUS Guild House. After attending so many 21st birthdays, i've realised i wanted to keep mine small, with just the closer bunch of cliques to celebrate my birthday with. All in all, the whole event was pretty much relaxing and cosy and I enjoyed myself. Thank You PEEPS for making the effort to come for my birthday celebration and for your wonderful "GUITAR-FUND" gifts... Lolz.
Here's some pictures in case you're wondering what happened:
* My 21st Birthday Cake *
* TJC 1203 Classmates *
* TJC Climbing Club Gang *
* Wei Jian Genevieve Vincent *
With both camps and my 21st birthday party over just like a gust of wind, it's back to serious work n studies! Sianz. Uni Life seems pretty daunting for now but i guess i'll get used to it... SOON.
On a happier note, I've ordered my "Birthday" Guitar which is coming this weekend! Shall Update about it once i get it. Till then. Chill.
It's almost 1 more month to my 21st birthday ahead, and I have friends and relatives asking me what i want for my birthday present. As I was giving some thought over it for the past weeks, I couldnt think of anything else except for the desire to buy another Electric Guitar! Haha. Dad says I'm wasting my money because I'm buying another guitar while Im still in the learning process. Aw well, Justin did tell me before to be more patient and concentrate on improving the skills before I think of getting another new guitar, but I cant WAIT any longer!!! Well, it's not because I'm rich and just wanna waste the extra money to buy a WANT item, but rather I'm pretty bored and sick with my current SG, the pickups are rusting badly, the pickup switch is having problems switching from RHYTHM to TREBLE etc....
Specifications:
JS neck
Maple Neck Material
Basswood Body
22/Medium frets
Rosewood Finger Board
Edge Pro II bridge
IBZ AH1 (H) Neck PU
IBZ AH2 (H) Bridge PU
Pearl Dot Inlays
CH : Hardware Color
a : Width at Nut
42mm
b : Width at Last Fret
56mm
c: Thickness at 1st
20mm
d : Thickness at 12th
22.3mm
Radius
Specs:
Wizard Prestige neck
5pc. Maple/ Walnut Neck Material
Basswood Body
24/Jumbo frets
Bound Rosewood Finger Board
Edge Pro bridge
DiMarzio IBZ (H) Neck PU
DiMarzio IBZ (S) Mid PU
DiMarzio IBZ (H) Bridge PU
Brown Mirror Sharktooth Inlay
Vital Silver Finish
Includes Deluxe Hardshell Case
Basswood is a comparatively lightweight wood, which makes it very comfortable for extended playing. With a good balance of highs and lows, basswood is right in between alder and mahogany in sound character. The 24 Jumbo frets offer easy playing for leads and chording.
* Source : http://www.wmcworld.com
Scale:
648mm/25.5"
a : Width at Nut
43mm
b : Width at Last Fret
58mm
c: Thickness at 1st
18mm
d : Thickness at 12th
20mm
Radius
430mmR
* Source: http://www.ibanez.com
This seems like a better buy overall, did some reading over some forums and people were saying that in comparison with the signature series, perhaps the RG Prestige is a much better,versatile buy for hard rock n stuff. Then again, the price for this is almost SGD$1800+... and with that price, i would rather pay bit more and probably get a Fender or Gibson manz. haha.
* Ibanez SA120 Guitar *
Specs:
IBANEZ SA120 CN E-Guitar, Mahogany Body, 3-pc. Maple Neck, 22 Medium Frets, SAT PRO Tremolo, 2 Humbuckers (AH5 Neck and AH6 Bridge), Chrome Hardware, Color: Charcoal Brown, incl. Gigbag und Gurt
*Source: http://www.thomann.de
Scale
648mm/25.5"
a : Width at Nut
43mm
b : Width at Last Fret
56mm
c: Thickness at 1st
19.5mm
d : Thickness at 12th
21.5mm Radius
As I was browsing through the usual webbies online, I came across this ad at SweeLee's site :
Gosh! Herman Li's coming to Singapore once again for his Asian Tour Clinic! In case you're wondering who the hell is he, he's basically the lead guitarist from the Power Metal Band, DragonForce, which came down to Singapore recently for their "Inhuman Rampage" concert tour. Well, I didnt manage to catch that gig , partly because I aint a Power Metal genre kinda fan and thus doesnt really appreciate their music influences.
In case you guys are curious what this guy can do, check the links out:
+ Herman Li and Sam Totman performing the "Through the Fire and Flames" solo together.
+ Herman Li and Sam Totman giving instructional demos and advice on playing their song
Well, it never fails to make mi go "WAHHH" whenever i hear or watch this video, and if you have bothered to watch the above video, the 1st thought in your mind would be " Wow.... how the hell did that dude do tt shit on the guitar? it's all pure speed shredding..!!! wouldnt his fingers go cramp?" Lolz.
Then again, there are other friends of mine(guitarists) who think there's just all pure speed, and it seems so messy and disorganised, and thus they think otherwise for guitarists like Herman Li. Aw well, to each his own opinion. If anyone out there is interested in going for the Clinic anyway, check out Swee Lee's website at : http://www.sweelee.sg/
Hmm....Im still waiting for the day Joe Satriani or John Petrucci to come down to SINGAPORE... or even better... G3 coming down for Asia Tour! That would be sweet...
Hey! Hope u guys are still reading and keeping up on my blog entries, although there are occasional posts merely targeted on Guitar Topics which might bore some of you to death. Haha. So once again, I'll update on the "Rock For Wayne" tribute gig which happened just last saturday(23th June).
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the gig the last minute, the reasons being that friends who were initially interested couldnt make it the last min and most of my friends whom i tried asking earlier were not in the least interested with the local music scenes and music genres.*pity. In prior to that, I didnt know the whole gig would last from Noon till Late and so it wouldnt much make sense if i went there ALONE throughout. So yeah, i gave up the 2 FREE tickets which I had won online from the local forums and told those in-charge to give that complimentary tickets to someone who deserves it more. Yesh, I was kinda disappointed when I know I missed sucha meaningful rock gig.
Days after the tribute gig was over, I checked over the local forums(soft.com.sg) and found several posts and links from fellow forum members on the gig's details. Enough said, I've decided to do some posting on the pictures and let them do all the talking!
I'm taking NO credits for the pictures posted below because it doesnt belong to me, but enjoy anyway:
Interior settings/decos of the Tribute Gig
Huge Crowd of Supporters at RFW
" A Vacant Affair " band
" Caracal " band
"AstroNinja All Stars " band
"AstroNinja All Stars " band once again
As i was just surfing online for Guitar-related resources, i found that the internet ITSELF provides SO much information and access to tips on guitar-playing. Some sites offer FREE guitar tips and lessons on their sites, while for the better "claimed" ones, they charge a fixed 1 time fee to teach you the musical instruments online if you sign up for their programs. It's pretty amazing how convenient and useful the internet can be to learning NEW stuff these days. Anyhow, after browsing through various sites, i thought it would be good to provide my own views for the QnAs for you guys out there to read and understand about.
1. "I'm new to guitar playing and so what kind of guitar (i.e Classical, Acoustic, Electric) should i start off with?"
* Well, some guitarists would tell you that it would be better that beginners ought to start out using a Classical Guitar to learn the fundamentals. The reason being because since the Classical Guitar uses nylon strings, it makes it easier for beginners to press the various chords patterns and get the right note strummed. Its wider neck structure also trains the fingers to get used to stretching so that you wouldnt awkward when you have to do more complicated stretched chord patterns in future. In any case, the Classical Guitar is suitable for people who are into the Classic, Folk kind of songs.
* However, the counter argument for starting off with an Acoustic would be that, firstly, because of the fact that you are pressing on steel strings, you are training your fingers to get used to the "pain" and discomfort while pressing on the various keys on the fretboard. In time to come, the skin portion on your finger tips would harden and thus making it easier to learn Barring(Pressing all 6 strings on same fret) for your bar chord playing. Its narrow neck also saves you the trouble of having to stretch when playing Open Chord notes. The 3rd reason would be that since steel strings are used, the sound produced by the guitar would be clearer,brighter and distinct. This makes it more pleasant and closer to guitar playing for modern pop genres. With that, you are also able to train up your ears to "play by ears", i.e to say that the clearer tones allows you to train your ears to listen and distinguish the differences in the different keys and chord patterns. Some guitarists do believe that this is an important aspect of guitar-learning. 
* As for Electric guitars, I've always thought this is the most versatile of all. Prior to the fact that it's easier to press the strings compared to Acoustic guitars, it can be used to play a wide range of genres from Blues,Jazz,Pop,Rock,Metal,Instrumental etc... The best thing is, you can also learn all your fundamentals on the electric as well!* All in all, i never thought the type of guitar really matters SO MUCH when it comes to the intial for guitar learning, the more important thing is having the PASSION and INTEREST to keep you going, to inspire you to be hungry for more guitar knowledge, so choose the right instrument according to what you need and wanna play.
2. " Guitar is not a very difficult instrument, It can be self-taught. "
* To a small extent, this statement is pretty true. I learnt my first guitar song myself, but of course with the help of gettting those chord patterns online and then following it through. The truth is, learning any instrument WELL is NEVER EASY in the first place. Yes, you might argue that all it takes is to memorise all the chord patterns and then learning how to strum and pick them, and that's all it takes,full stop.
* Well, it isnt as easy as you thought. I tried learning it MYSELF for a while initially, but i found it futile because i did not know WHERE and HOW to begin from, so the next thing i did was to consult friends that knew how to play guitar. Well, things got slightly better but i realised that it was difficult consulting friends in the long run because their knowledge were also limited, and they couldnt provide accurate answers and advices. It was then that i decided to get a professional music teacher to teach me right from the basics.
*Although the price was abit steep for some to do the same(i'm paying SGD$40/hr to my guitar mentor), i felt it was totally worth it. The 1st reason being, the teacher knows almost everything about guitar and thus able to explain and teach you stuff which you are confused and unclear about. 2nd reason is, he can customise the lessons according to your needs, like helping to highlight and brush up on certain weaknesses (eg scales,chord progressions, picking) which you might occur, and then progressing on to the genres of music which you are interested in learning.
*Therefore i believe that it's always good to have a mentor/friend to guide and see you through your learning journey, so that you wouldnt be lost along the way. Online resources or even books could be useful to you to learn along the way, but sometimes these information are often too dis-organised and complexed that you would tend to be LOST at where and how to go about doing it.
3. " I do not need to learn the scales and theory aspect in order to play Guitar "
* As I have mentioned earlier, it's important to learn the theory aspect of music IF you want to go beyond the basic, because the theory aspect explains to you the WHYs of the songs composed and HOW to go about doing it. Take for example for myself, i never thought learning scales was really important, because it was just a range of notes in a certain pattern to follow, and the notes playing does not make much musical sense to the hears.
*However, it was only after my teacher's EMPHASIS on it that i realised it's TRUE importance. Scales not only allows you to understand why certain songs/solos are composed by guitarists in that particular way, it also trains up your finger running on the fretboard, which is really important if you wanna learn to be a lead guitarist. So guys! Go train up on your fundamentals and no notes/keys will put you down in future!
4. " How do i maintain my Guitar? Does Rusting of strings matter? "
* Just like any other equipment or instrument, Guitars also need some basic maintenance in order to keep it in tip-top condition. The basic thing would be to clean your exterior parts using a dry smooth cloth, to prevent dust and dirt from accumulating on the corners and surfaces, especially on the humbuckles as it might effect the clarity and tone of the sound generated. If you are feeling rich or because your guitar is your "baby", you could purchase the guitar-cleaning solution which is specially for cleaning the exterior parts and maintaining its looks.
* I used to think that whenever my strings rust, it does not really matter much as long as the strings can be pressed and able to produce the sounds i want. However, this is a very MISCONCEPTION that rusting is okay. The truth is, rusting of strings does affect the output of the sound! IF you are able to notice the difference, rusted strings in actual fact produce a very "dead" tone and becomes less distinct and clear as compared to new strings. Moreover, it would be more difficult to do slidings and bendings on the rusted strings because of its rough surfaces.
* Therefore, one of the ways would be to wipe your guitar strings with a smooth, dry cloth before and after use, so as to prevent sweat and moisture from retaining on the guitar strings after use. Alternatively, you can buy the"oil" solution specially for the guitar strings and then applying it on the strings before and after usage. This would help to keep a layer of oil on your strings and thus preventing your strings from rusting upon contact with moisture. The last method would be to purchase nickel STEEL or coated steel strings, as these strings are designed to last longer,because of its steel coating(anti-rusting) property.
5. " Does using a hard/soft pick make a difference to my playing? "
* Definitely! The pick which you use matters more than what you would think! Firstly, there are many different types of picks available in the market, thickness ranging as low as .4mm all the way to 1mm thick! Well, it really depends on the kind of music that you are playing. For more comfortable strumming on a classical/acoustic guitar, you might prefer using thinner picks so that it would be easier to do repeated strumming up and down patterns. The reason for thicker picks is usually for solo patterns, where u wanna do fast yet definite pickings on the guitar. A thicker pick would give a less "flaky" yet sharper and clearer sound on the guitar. Thus, choose a pick which you are comfortable and able to play with on a guitar! * In fact, the size of the pick also matters! U might have noticed that picks do come in different shapes and sizes. The bigger kind of picks are usually accustomed for the Caucasian People( because their body physique is usually bigger than Asians and thus their fingers would be longer and bigger) and so for most Asians, they usually prefer using the slightly smaller sized kind of picks. Avoid getting too big picks as they would become a hindrance more than a help when it comes to solo picking and you would not want having too much excess uncovered spaces on the pick itself.
* Finger picking is another alternative to using a pick. It saves you some time and inconvenience because you can position your 5 fingers permanently on each strings without having to move here and there while changing string positions during the song. However, the down side of finger picking is that the sound produced by the guitar would never be as clear and sharp as compared to using a pick.
6. " Do i need a Tuner or Metronome for guitar practice? "
* Well, unless you're good enough to be able to tune the guitar strings by ear, a tuner is more or less a necessity to most guitarists! Develop the habit of tuning your guitar strings everytime you wanna use the guitar, so that this ensures you are playing the correct sounds and not sounds that are out-of-tuned.
* There are many types of Tuners available in the market. The most basic being the tuning fork, which i think is a good tool for training to "tune by ears". However, this might be time-consuming and not 100% accurate (provided you have been using it for long time until you're seasoned with it). The inventions of Chromatic Tuners have brought much convenience as it is able to detect the sound waves and tell you immediately how close/far are you away from the actual Notes quickly. However, by doing so, it would be difficult for you to learn the "tune by ears" method because you become too dependent on the gadget.
* Therefore, what I would usually do is; I would first use the tuner system( works like a tuning fork kind where they play the actual note and i have to listen and tune my guitar strings as close as to the sound) in my computer for training up my "tune by ear" method, and then i would use the chromatic tuner to re-confirm if the "tuned" strings are accurate and correct. In this way, though the process is time consuming, but i'll be able to train up my ears!
* As for the metronome, which is basically a device to provide you the beats and tempo patterns, is useful if you realise you always have a poor sense of rhythm when playing songs. The metronome would help to keep you in track in the correct tempo and time based on the adjustments made. It's therefore not a MUST have equipment, but useful for practice!
* Wow, are you now worried about spending more money on a Tuner and Metronome? Fret not! The internet provides you with FREE resources for download. Enjoy these for FREE.
= Free Guitar Tuner = = Free Metronome =
7. " Some web sites claim that IF i sign up for their Guitar-learning programs NOW, I'll be able to learn the guitar in XXX mins/hrs or even in 1 week! Is that for real? "
* Be cautious of such web sites! Self-proclaiming sites that provide you a "Fast-and- Easy" solution to learning guitar is not always as ACCURATE as you might think it would be. Don't get me wrong, Im not saying that ALL such similar sites are scams or are bull-shitting, but rather, my point is that there is no short cut to learning of guitars. It is only through PASSION and SHEER HARD PRACTICE that you are able to learn and play the instrument WELL. You might have the best guitar resources or even a teacher to guide you, but you lack the drive and disipline to practice, what good use would that be?
* Therefore, my conclusion would be that it's pretty safe and okay to sign up for online learning programs, but do check for the person's credibility, the lessons and guitar resources which he/she has to offer, as well as you yourself having the DETERMINATION and DISIPLINE to follow strictly to what the teacher has got to teach and ask you to do. Remember, there is no Easy way out to learning MUSIC , or even anything else.
Have fun exploring and I will provide more tips and insights the next time round again. Till then! =)