Sunday, January 27, 2008

Personal 'z'

It's a week away from the Lunar New Year, but I ain't that excited, because my vocation in Naval Base security would have me miss out on two days of the holiday festival - the very much coveted New Year's Eve reunion dinner - and of seeing all my close relatives at the round table (which used to be quite close) until my Grandma passed away last march - unwittingly, I have turned away from them, exploring life independently through my own unbiased eyes - and here doing my time in NS.

I keep reminiscing, thinking as always, of the moments I was there, a formal distance away, from my respected role model and friend in music, and her timeless book recommendations, which solidify as her special collection in my mind. Kafka. Harry Potter. Haruki Murakami. The film, Cinema Paradiso. It is food for thought. Then out of respect for my own feelings, I often wonder aloud - why our friendship doesn't quite work out. Perhaps the problem lies with me, not her. I don't know how to get along with her mood. Without hearing from her much now and then, it leaves quite a lot of room for my self-doubt. Does she still care? Where once, she reassuringly convinced me of our friendship... I don't think we were ever friends by default. (Maybe from a cold and distant view, we were friends arisen from necessity. That we have both but met for a period of times, for business purposes in one of our recreational circles, and we spared each other a little kindness to facilitate our goals in recreation) But that's a cruel thought to say about her. Friends don't need each other. They won't leave their doors and windows open? At this juncture, I would damn myself for thinking so badly of a friend. well, I say that I would drop those damn thoughts now. and move on to something else.

The Straits Times columnist Sumiko Tan, engaged in a bout of self-talk in her personal column, that she was in her 30-40s and complains about the dreary nature of weekends, that being single made time pass away slowly. But she also comments on the perks of being single- meaning more time to read her favourite books, shopping at different shops, watch. I can empathise with that feeling. It's something I can anticipate ending up doing, and so I can think about what to do then, if I end up single for the rest of my life.

End of personal entry.

Songs to Check out:

Coldplay - Clocks (Avocado Blue mix)

"Rhythms Del Mundo

Now if the currently burning bossa nova rage has sent you craving for something more authentically Latino, then there is Rhythms Del Mundo. This is no bossa nova album. It is made up of Cuban music fused with a pop feel and faithful to its African origins. This is a collaborative effort from artists of various countries in aid of Artists Project Earth (APE) which lends support for natural disaster relief and climate change awareness. The artists involved support the album as a show of commitment to the music and the cause it endorses and those artists are mighty bit names.

The star-studded production features famous pop tracks like Clocks by Coldplay; Better Together by Jack Johnson; Dancing Shoes by Arctic Monkeys; One Step Too Far by Dido & Faithless; I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by Coco Freeman featuring U2; She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5; Modern Way by Kaiser Chefs; Fragilidad by Sting; The Dark of the Matinee by Coco & Franz Ferdinand; High and Dry by Lele & Radiohead all given new Afro-Cuban arrangements by the famous Buena Vista Social Club whose singers perform vocals in As Time Goes By by Ibrahim Ferrer and Killing Me Softly by Omara Portuondo."
Something I'd like to hear for the kick of it.

Regina Carter - This Can't Be Love (very jazzy, perky arrangement.)
Top Rocking - The Real New World (very interesting rap)
BUGZ_IN_THE_ATTIC - it don't work like that
UNITED_FUTURE_ORGANIZATIO OSUNLADE - LISTEN LOVE
Late Night Alumni - Seemingly Sleepy (trancy-trancy-dreamy dreemlike state. music plays with your subconcious... Zzz..)
GAVIN FRIDAY - Angel

Email: Through a Rapist's Eyes

"THIS is important information for females of ALL ages.

When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady friends, but I forwarded it to most everyone in my address book. My men friends have female friends and this information is too important to miss someone.

Please pass it along.

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:


1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.


2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly . Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.


3) They also look for women on their cell phone , searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.


4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m.


5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots . Number two: is office parking lots/garages. Number three: is public restrooms.


6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.


7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.


8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.


9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas , or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.


Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.


10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: 'I can't believe it is so cold out here,' 'we're in for a bad winter.' Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.


11) If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK ! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back.
Again, they are looking for an EASY target.


12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes) , yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.


13) If someone grabs you , you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.


14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he's out of there.


15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible . The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.


16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!


You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!


2.Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans . If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM . Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!


3.If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.


4.Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.) DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.


a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.


5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:


A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.


B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.


C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.


IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)


6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)


7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!


8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.


9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'


The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it , but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.


Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby ----This
should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.


I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well."

End of Email.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Christophe Willem

French Idol '06



Quand je serai grand, je serai Bee Gees
"When I grow up, I will be Bee Gees"
Ou bien pilote de formule 1 "Or a pilot in Formula 1"
En attendant je me déguise "In the meantime I'm a mere disguise"
C’est vrai que tous les costumes me vont bien "It's true that all my costumes take me far"
Le rouge le noir "The red black"
Le blues l’espoir "The blues hope"
Et moi "And I"

De toutes les couleurs j’aime en voir "Of all the colors I see"

C’est comme ça qu’est ce que j’y peux "That's the way I can be"
(Faudrait savoir ce que tu veux) "Should about what you want"

Oui "Yes"
Quand je serai grand ce sera facile "When I grow it will be easy"
Enfin je saurai qui je suis "I'll finally know who I am"
Mais En attendant je me défile "But I'm reading scrolls"
C’est vrai "It's true"
Je me dérobe et je me fuis "I stole and I"

Je pleurs, "I cry"
je ris, "I laugh"
J’ai peur, "I fear"
Envie, "Envy"
Je sais De toutes les couleurs, je vais en voir "I know all the colors, I will see"

A qui la faute ? "Who is to blame?"
Je suis l’un et l’autre "I am both"
Double je "I'm Double"
A qui la faute ? "Who is to blame?"
Je suis l’un et l’autre "I am both"

C’est comme ça qu’est ce que j’y peux "That's the way I can be"
(Faudrait savoir ce que tu veux) "Should about what you want"

Après tout qu’est ce que j’y peux "After all that is what I can"
(Faudrait savoir ce que tu veux) "Should about what you want"

Quand je serai grand qu’on se le dise
"When I grow up they will say"
Je serai vendeur dans les magasins "I will be selling in the stores"
En entendant, je me déguise "In the meantime I'll disguise"
En chantant dans ma salle de bain "By singing in my bathroom"

(Faudrait savoir ce que tu veux) "Should about what you want"
Quand je serai grand je serai dans le show biz… "When I grow up I will be in show biz"

Je sais, de toutes les couleurs j'aime en voir. "I know all the colors I'll see."
A qui la faute je suis l'un et l'autre "Whose fault I am both."
Double je "I'm Double"
...

Double je - Translated from lyrics with help from google translator.

I stumbled on this artist, Nouvelle Star a year ago. I like Willem's voice. Both facial features and voice quality remind me of Daniel Singh. I'm impressed cause I thought it was a girl singing initially. The strong beat in the song makes you wanna dance!




Well, from viewing this video, you can see a few french beauties as Willem dutifully and gracefully, dances his fingers on the piano keys. And it seems a little propaganda on French receptivity to their homegrown talent. In the last scene of Willem walking away, one muses, that he is simply another being living in a city of millions, and not any larger than life.

The alternate interpretation, incorporates a more sound understanding, but makes the song immoral. If you understood the lyrics, the song is about a voyeur, who peeps from a A room with a view (i.e. Chambre Avec Vue), at/from Bristol hotel. So although the lyrics are perverted, the french concept of open romanticism is compensated by the majestic string ensemble in the background. It seems so dreamy, this look at voyeurism. As he sings in the last line, "existantelle." Ah... to capture this moment of existence...?

Friday, January 04, 2008

Gone, Gone, Gone



Man I love this song. Actually I was searching for the BeatleSung, but this soulful Lefty Frizzel thing came up. Hehe. The one historical gig they did up on the rooftop of Apple Studios, 1969. That must have made them, and the audiences feel so high.

And to you in question... Well, lead your own life. I don't care about you anymore. And You're not my cup of tea either. *takes revolver in a SUPER-UPSET mood =( and goes blam - * I imagine now, that I have a great deal of booze on my hands, and I will drink the bottle, the jug dry. Everything. Every last drop. And let it burn down my throat, burn away those painful memories, and relight the fire in my heart...

And a fiery light emerged - from those black smouldering coals in the background. My loyal, faithful Alsation curled up beside me in the cosy hearth...

... Like a crutch of a handicapped man.

Things ain't so bad... While you can still fantasise, that you have lived your life in a wooden cabin, and that you're an aged Caucasian male sitting on your rocker in front of the fireplace in a children's storybook. A shoemaker, a watchmaker, a clockmaker, whatever.. Oh. except that it ain't real.



The BeatleSung. Yes, come to think of it, you do resemble John Lennon in a way. Thank you for watching. =))