hello everybody. on my second week of leave so far, and i must say i think im doing rather well trying to avoid the malls and the bait of excessive spending. have to really start saving up if i ever wanna get anything done. or perhaps that's just a handy excuse that i bought myself with, convinced that i'm spending my time as fruitfully as i should.

managed to catch quite a few movies though, some which were sitting in my computer dying for attention since before my enlistment and some others from quite recent. oh and i just finished the whole series of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's Band of Brothers too. i must say its a really moving show, a nice blend between the heroism of war veterans and the harsh realities of war. watching it kinda made me miss all those times in OCS where we had those endless exercises and all, the late nights planning of missions, charging up the knulls, shouting our throats out to be heard over the barrage of gunfire. then like any other hotheaded 20 yr old i told myself i would certainly love to get a piece of combat experience and some stories for my own. but now come to think about it, war is indeed such a scary thing. towards the end of the series they had this concentration camp scene, which was both appalling and moving. makes one wonder what does the word 'death' and 'torture' actually meant to the people who endured their last moments in them.

and guess what arrived in my mail last friday?



yes lincoln brewsters' instructional DVDs! been searching for them via the local christian distributors for quite some time now, having many of them say that they aren't able to get the rights to distribute them. and since i'm a good and upright citizen who doesn't in any way support the industry of piracy, i ordered them from the states through his website. though i would say they are quite expensive and cost me around $90.

haven't got the time to open volume two yet, but had a considerable amount to take home from volume one. he covers some basics such as vibratos and string bendings, all the way to stuff like improvisation philosophy and a detailed breakdown of a couple of songs. managed to steal one or two licks of his but still got quite abit of practicing to do to justify my $90. That being said though, they kinda forgot my autographed poster!! wanted to write to them but figured i probably eventually throw it away anyway.

my sis is back too from taiwan. thank God she's safe and sound and not affected in any way by the earthquake. she mentioned they felt the tremors and all but thankfully that's about it. oh yeah i believe she's singing for this christmas service so be sure to drop by(haha right like that warrants a reason to).

and boy is it christmas already? this christmas seems like one of the least of christmas to me. in fact i didnt actually realise christmas was really happening till david mentioned that it was only 4 days away on the train yesterday. must be those endless calls and emails i've been receiving regarding work. yes SAF loves you to much to ignore you regardless of whether you're on leave, such a pity. or maybe i'm just too preoccupied with trying to occupy myself. things haven't really been smooth sailing in my family as well. found myself at the bitter end of things for numerous nights, nights with thoughts that i'm less than proud of.

So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun

I hear the Savior say,
"Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all."

* Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim
I'll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb.

And now complete in Him,
My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper's spots
And melt the heart of stone.

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
"Jesus died my soul to save,"
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I'll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus' feet.

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
Jesus died my soul to save
My lips shall still repeat

it's once in a while where u hear a new song and go, "gosh!! that's awesome music!! the style, song writing, and voice texture makes such a wonderful blend. why isn't he more famous than he already is!?"

and of course, he's using the piano..

http://www.myspace.com/wakeywakeymusic

check out Clinton St. Girl and War Sweater as well.

It's a shame, I know, but it all shakes out real slow
When the follies of your weekend hang like smoke onto your clothes.
And the shame of it grows when you whisper it nice and low.
But all the walls have ears my darling, and all bad things get known.
And I know about you. I know about you.

yeah in case you're wondering, yup i passed my driving test!! yes which means i can officially drive. quite glad with the entire driving learning process. managed to get pass everything within a try, and perhaps not overdo the lessons as well. can't remember how many lessons i took though, didnt really keep track. anyway if u are looking for a patient, private manual instructor, pm me or smth i can pass u my instructor's contact.

and i sold my Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster earlier this week as well.. gave it one last good clean and, very reluctantly tucked it away in my guitar bag to meet up the buyer. oh man i was half convinced i shouldnt be doing something so dumb. okay the buyer was a really nice malay guy though, had a good laugh and talk while he tested and checked the guitar. sold it for 1.7k, which was quite reasonable imo. he msg-ed me two days later and told me that he had waited years for a guitar like this, and it was absolutely magical. ahhh it only served to add to my heartache..! asked me out to jam one fine day as well, yeah probably would when i miss my old guitar.

so i initially wanted to get the Fender '52 Reissue Telecaster which i was eyeing last year. BUT! i didnt know Fender increased their prices by SO MUCH!!! i mean i knew they increased their prices but i never thought it did affect me, a mere nobody somewhere in singapore. but by 30%!!?? gosh Clarence Leonidas Fender must be rolling in his grave since he had intended fenders to be sold to aspiring guitarists without having to shoulder the burden of expensive guitars then. so the '52 reissue now costs 2.8k, which was a little too steep imo.

then came the Fender John Mayer Signature Stratocaster.. gosh if u have no idea/wanna know how it sounds, go load a John Mayer Live performance on youtube and check those that he plays with a strat. those Big Dippers pups are awesome..!! not to mention that its the only guitar in the world with them. but of course, costs 3.05k.

i was weighing it between the Fender Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster though. deciding between the two which to go for. the JM strat seems to be very tailored for blues, in fact, to be EXCELLENT at it. the mid scoops the Big Dippers have really achieves that soothing blues tone that got my ears hooked. the EJ strat however, seemed to be a much more versatile guitar over all. i shant go into the details since it did bore most of you peeps(which i bet by now if u are still reading u probably are interested about guitars as well), but i decided to settle for the EJ strat in the end. BUT.. it costs 3.55k..

haha anyway, right now in my room lies the most awesome guitar every made to exist on earth(okay boutique guitar lovers dont shoot me), an FENDER ERIC JOHNSON SIGNATURE STRATOCASTER!! got a relatively good deal for a mint/literally brand new one from this guy i met online.



GOSH you have no idea how beautifully it sings, how more thought is put behind the craftmanship of it. the nitro finish, the 2-tone burst makes it such a beauty to behold as well. haha dude you've got to try it, and once u do, sell off every other strat u once played.

surprisingly never thought i did be a strat convert though. from an Epiphone '67 White Flying V(haha come on we all had out rocker-wannabe days), to a Squier Fat Telecaster, to a Fender Lite Ash Telecaster, and then a Fender Richie Kotzen Signature Telecaster.. i never thought that one day i would grow to love the strat more..

oh well, enough of tech talk for today. chao.