The Future of Forrestry - A musical experience

Joo Na linked us up with this band that she happened to stumbled upon.
It's called Future of Forrestry.
When I saw their music, a rehearsal of sorts, I thought it was like...WOW....3 bandmates, but multiple instruments. Talk about multi talented.
And i happened to chance upon Wikipedia that furthers informs me that they are a Christian band, or a band of Christians, however you want to put it.
But Christian or not, their music, was rich in layers, sounded very much like it belonged to the post rock genre, but its the incredible change of playing the musical instruments which got me interested.
Oh yeah, and the front man is Chinese! WOoo Hoo... one up for the CHiNKS!
So i now post 2 of the youtube clips which Joo Na linked us.
Wonderful stuff. Now, to try to get my hands on their music proper.
I might like Post-Rock afterall...

Men should never scratch in front of open windows...

Came back from another round of futsal.
I should be sleeping soon but i can't. Least not for the moment, cause I sure ain't sleeping with wet hair. :)

Anyway, heard this piece of news on FLY FM. It was reported in the Star as well.
Now as I can recall, a man, after taking his shower, was drying himself up. In the process of course, he was scratching his neither regions. Nothing uncommon.
However, a lady, or more aptly, said man's neighbour happened to be doing her laundry and was hanging her clothes along the corridor of her home.
Now,she happens to see said man scratching his crotch, next thing you know, said man is Court for a charge of sexual harassment or mental distress. Not sure which.
But said man was then fined, for scratching his privates.Charged and fined. Right.

Now, if the roles were reversed, and the woman was taking her shower and she felt an itch and decided to scratch her, well, neither regions, and the man was hanging his clothes by the corridor and happens to see her....WHAM....said man would definitely be charged for sexual harassment and would be branded a peeping Tom.
Haha...such is the irony of the situation that perhaps laws or justice is gender biased?
I don't know...but i suppose the noun Peeping Tom was concocted for a reason and not Peeping Tammy.
Oh well, just my thoughts. I find it rather ironic that justice is dished out to the man no matter what the situation was. I mean if the guy was a flasher and he was really flashing and causing mental distress or a sudden apprehension of fear towards the woman, then yes, he probably deserves it. But what if he was genuinely feeling itchy and had to satisfy the said itch...so wrong place, wrong time?
Well one thing is for sure, Men....never scratch in front of open windows.

Ok. Going to bed now

Grace Over Karma - an interview with Bono

Hmm...i was suppose to be writing a post on the Valentine's Day Deftones experience. Unfortunately I didn't have the pictures I have taken at the concert with me as of yet. Had to borrow my friend, Sherly's camera cause I forgot to take mine despite making a mental note the night before, to bring it for the gig.
How old I have grown and my memory is faltering.
Well, but then Colin gave me an article to read which featured an interview with Bono, of U2 fame, and not Bono of Sonny and Cher.

It's a pretty interesting interview, where Bono explains his reliance on a beautiful thing which is God's grace. Something that we never deserved and will not be deserving despite our deeds, but yet was given to us.

Bono draws a distinction between the works of grace and the works of karma, even if it may be his opinion but yet, it is something that perhaps I could identify with.
Below are excerpts from the more poignant parts of the interview which caught my attention:-

Assayas: I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?

Bono: Yes, I think that's normal. It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

Assayas: I haven't heard you talk about that.

Bono: I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.

Assayas: Well, that doesn't make it clearer for me.

Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics; in physical laws every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

Assayas: I'd be interested to hear that.

Bono: That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep s---. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

Assayas: That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?

Bono: No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was the Messiah or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we've been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had "King of the Jews" on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched

Well, of course to get a clearer picture of the interview, do go to the link and have a read. Whether you do agree with it or not, it's still something worth pondering. :)

And for all my misdeeds and shortcomings,I'm glad that Grace is given to me, cause i know i will never deserve it, despite trying to earn it the best I can.
I end this post with a song penned by John Newton, which I'm sure is familiar to all :-

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.



Now....if only U2 would come for a gig in Malaysia! Yeahhh!!

20 hours before..DEFTONES!

14 February 2011. Valentine's Day! Deftones, are finally in Malaysia, after more than a decade of making hard hitting heavy music! They have finally reached Malaysian shores! Never too late I say!
While lovers celebrate this day with romantic dinners and such, I will be with my mates, in the mosh pit of Deftones fans and some non-fans (though standing in the far end does make it more difficult to mosh).
No candlelight dinners, no chocolates. Just pure Adrenaline pumping through the veins! It won't be romantic at all..no sir..but it will be GREAT!
I leave you here with one of the all time favourites,

MY OWN SUMMER ( SHOVE IT! )

Hey you, big star, tell me when it's over

Hey you, big mood, guide me to shelter
`Cause i'm through when the two hits the six and it's summer

Cloud
Come (shove it) [x3]
Shove (shove it) [x3]
The sun (shove it) [x3]
Aside (shove it aside)

I think god is moving it's tongue
There's no crowd in the streets
And no sun in my own summer

The shade is a tool, a device, a savior
See, i try and look up to the sky
But my eyes burn

Come (shove it) [x3]
Shove (shove it) [x3]
The sun (shove it) [x3]
Aside (shove it aside)

CNY- Over the years

Going back for CNY is always something I look forward to. Having to relax, chill and unwind in Ipoh and work is usually the furthest thing on my mind. With the exception of 2009 however, when driving back to KL for work on Chor 3 was nothing but depressing. Haha..i'm fortunate enough then that I got to spend almost 10 days in Ipoh without having to be bothered by work :)
Its the meals with families, and also friends which make the sleepy town of Ipoh bustling! Well, looking back over the years, me and my mates still continue the tradition of the gang gathering, be it lunch or dinner, rain or shine, good food or bad food, Menglembu East Ocean of Public Pusing. No matter, we were always organizing these lunches/dinners. Well at least that still remain in Ipoh do it :)
But the fact is, looking back at the old photo archives, we tend not to ignore the fact that so much has changed over the years, but yet, in some ways, nothing has changed.
Seems like a contradicting statement, oxymoronic even, but think about it, and you will know what I mean.
I remember how Thomas commented that I usually take photos of the group, and he was asking me to post them on Facebook. He stated that it was quite a good thing, archiving our CNY capers together. I thought it was a compliment. And I suppose, that I can do it, then why not? I mean, I'm not using any DSLR or high tech camera, but over the years, just the common Olympus digicam, which does not churn out the best results, but churns the results nevertheless.
And sometimes, taking these long walks down memory lane brings a smile to my face.
So, to the gatherings of the past and to more in the future:)

Here's a small photo archive of the gatherings over the years. Many things change...but some things don't :)

CNY 2004




CNY 2005



















CNY 2006


CNY 2007































CNY 2008

























CNY 2009




CNY 2010











CNY 2011 - new additions to the gatherings :)the pretty ladies










shikes...been wearing the same polo tee since last year...:)

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

Reminiscing Pink Martini

Ok. Pink Martini was in Malaysia last year. I blogged about it. No videos posted...but since i have learnt how to post vids.....hahah..watch out..! or Rather watch this :)
"Hey Eugene" performed at Letterman


From their latest album


And their original hit - Sympathique

YUNA - "DECORATE" - my money was well spent

I glanced at the CD at 7-11 while trying to get change for parking. Autopay machines do not receive RM50 notes. DAMN. Anyway i glanced at 3 cd's, Yuna's Decorate, Seven Collar T Shirt and the 3rd i couldn't recall. And I took the Seven Collar T Shirt cd from the CD holder, but nah...wasn't too impressed with their first album which i bought almost 10 years ago. And then i picked up Yuna's cd...familiar...but nah...no cigar.
The next day, at a guitar store, i saw Yuna's poster at a guitar store, an ambassador for Godin guitars. And Colin told me that she is really good. Wow. A local artiste as a guitar ambassador, interesting. I mean it's been a while since Tempered Mental came up with another cd, perhaps it was time to check out another one. And then we were discussing how she sounds like over Skype the next day.
That night, I browsed her music on youtube.
Safe to say, i bought her album the next day without much thought and it was RM27 well spent :)
haha....Forgive my ignorance for I only found out about her achievements much later on. By then, i was already hooked to her music.
And driving to the Court of Appeal with the album looping over and over further enhanced my interest.
Listening to Rocket while driving on the empty, clean and beautiful streets of Putrajaya made me felt like i was driving on a lazy Sunday. It wasn't a lazy Sunday but it felt like it. :)
She really has a nice voice, reminscent sometimes of Bjork, sometimes Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer and Ellie Goulding, maybe a little bit of Zee Avi put together. And sometimes, so raw but yet poignant.
Her music also sounds simple, but yet, the harmonies and tones are rich so that adds boost in her songs. And her songwriting, though mostly about love and relationships, is also quite credible and yet touches the soul.
Well, its a good thing for Malaysia that we have talents who can make it and deserve to make it. Till her next album, it is much awaited.
Anyway, here are some of the favourite Songs from the album and one from her EP. I will be looking for it soon at the music store. Hope I can find it. Meanwhile, enjoy Yuna :)