He's Blog

Happy 20th Birthday, Jacky

// June 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // Life, Photos, Thoughts

This is way way way long overdue but I just couldn’t find a day to really sit down and blog about this important event in the year 2010. As compared to the previous years, the celebrations this year were so much more epic and I can only hope for the better in 2011 – my 21st. But before that day actually arrive, let’s talk about some history.

Chapter 1

15th april 2010 – Celebration with ‘Mammy’

 On our way to Raffles City to…

satisfy Mammy’s cravings for this green tea ice cream, indigenous to the Streets of Japan, Shokodu.

 A photo of the two of us.

We then headed to Ichiban Boshi located at the Esplanade for our dinner.

Here’s a pic of myself and the our meal. As far as I can remember, the food was only so-so but the quiet ambience makes up for it. I remember having quite an engaging coversation with Mammy here.

Here’s Mammy and her share of the meal. 

We then went down to The Cathay to catch a movie. Concidentaly, my birthday was the day Kick Ass was released and I remember seeing some postivie reviews about this film. So, I guess it’s a pity not to watch it, eh? This my friends, is a film that I’ve pretty much enjoyed. It’s been a while since I saw something good in the theatres. Well then again it’s distributed by Lionsgate, one credible sign that a film is decent.

And another photo of the two of us to end this chapter off.  

Chapter 2

24th april 2010 – Celebration with high school friends.

We started the night off by going to one of my favorite restaurant, Empire State.

I can’t remember what we were listening to, but I think i was distracted by something else.

Sadly, we didn’t have any photos of the great food that filled our stomachs. So here’s a quick jump to Sin Chyuan and our cash.

We then headed down to Beach Cabana at East Coast Park to chill out. Over there, we had babes and hunks play a gambling game with us. It was pretty memorable because I lost the bet and had to…

buy a bucket of Mexican Sol Beers. It was aite, but my friends seem to enjoy it. Guess I’m not a beer person.

After the booze and the games, it was time for the awaited group photo. Credits to Yi Ci for taking the photos for my birthday. He’s a great photographer.

From then on, the guys went to grind some chicks at Zouk but I guess I’ll skip this part. It was a fun night nonetheless. Hopefully that many people show up for my birthday next year. A big shout out to those who came, I’ll remember it for a life time. And you know it’s a big deal when it comes from a forgetful person.

Chapter 3

8th May 2010 – Celebration with Poly mates

It was a joint celebration for the April babies and seriously what could be a better place to conduct this event other than Li Qing’s place? We had a great BBQ session again at Li Qing’s place. I think that was like the 3rd time we had our BBQ there, with the first being very memorable.

 Here’s our feast for the night!

And a brawling session with my first friend from Poly, Joshua. It’s Black or White, place your bets now!

Couple shot. Well Yi Chee was merely a standin Ying Ying. So… Haha to his gay look. =X

The extremely mouth-watering cake. Hmmm yum yum.

The April babies without Maybelle =( She will be dearly missed.

And finally, our group photo for the night. Thanks for coming, guys

Last Words

A big shout out to those who have been there to celebrate the day I arrived on planet Earth. Each day were well spent and I just couldn’t ask for more. Well, there are actually still quite a few people that I haven’t gotten the chance to celebrate my birthday with.  I think they know who they are if they ever come across this entry. It’s a real shame. But doesn’t really matter because I’ll be definitely calling them out for my 21st, so do expect to hear from me!

So a 20 year old Jacky shouts out to the people that have been there: ”Good game and thank you guys!”

See you next year,

Sign off,
He

Self Discipline And That Touch Of Nostalgia

// May 4th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Life, Music, Piano, Thoughts

So I was in the living room, staying up late trying to finish the piano homework that my teacher assigned me over the week. In total, there were about 8 exam papers or so. Wow, yeah I know it sounds a lot, but trust me, it actually isn’t. So there’s really no reason for you to get shocked. It’s true that I can be a mugger at times but trust me, it’s really not that much.

Speaking of mugging, that moments of me scribbling away in the living room can’t help but remind me of the gruelling days I used to practise for the O-levels A math and E math examinations in the same exact environment. I remember spending at least 10 hours everyday of sole practising for a week. Yup, that’s really crazy. Hell I even woke up drenched in perspiration from nightmares of mind-wrecking equations that I can’t solve in my dreams. Looking back, I don’t even know how I even managed to endure through those days. But while I am glad that those days are over, that form of discipline has undoubtedly helped to push and place me where I am today.

Thankfully, while the piano definitely wouldn’t be as taxing as those days I’ve been through, the same form of discipline applies here. It’s all about practising and practising before reaching that standard. The difference is however, at least I enjoy it and I guess that’s all it matters.

Yup, that’s right folks.

Signs off,
He

Piano. Chapter Two Of The Music Journey Begins

// April 30th, 2010 // No Comments » // Life, Music, Piano, Thoughts, Videos

While this piece of news is definitely not going come as a surprise to some people, but yes, I’m indeed learning the piano and have been doing so for quite some time already. I must say I really enjoy it. It helps to keep me focused, relaxed and joyful. Not to mention it also makes me satisfyingly high at times. There is really no doubt that playing the piano is one of the most satisfying things that I’ve ever done in my life (right after jerking off. Or so I hear). There is absolutely no other feelings like playing a song on the piano and playing it flawlessly. Really, it’s quite an ego-boost, flex.

Recently, my mom got me a digital piano to further aid me in my learning. It is a P85 digital piano from Yamaha that costs about 1.2k. Well depending on how you are going to look at it. It can be considered economical or extravagant. If you’re looking at it from a beginner’s standpoint, then cheaper keyboards are usually the way to go. But really. After practising for weeks on my mom’s organ, I’ve developed a phobia of not being able to play a piece I’ve mastered at home at my teacher’s acoustic piano. Reason being, the keys on the organ/keyboard are too soft and my fingers grew weak because of that. So with this being said, I guess I was left with no choice other than a digital piano or acoustic pianos. But really, what I really need besides the key pressure is the ability to plug in a pair of headphones and practise. Also, let’s just say I’m not Mozart or whatsoever and I am trying to be considerate for my family members and neighbours. And did I mention, the touch of it feels almost identical to the piano my teacher has. Pianos all have different touch, but I’m sure the digital piano is going to be way closer to it than a keyboard could ever be. What’s more, you can set it to produce sounds from various instruments. My favorite of all these is definitely strings and there’s also the metronome which I still haven’t really make use of. =/

So why the sudden decision to pick up a piano? To be completely honest, there’s no sudden urge. Music, just like any of my other interests, has always been part of me. I’ve always wanted to pick up an instrument ever since I became a teen. So the moment I hit 13, I went ahead to learn drums but it was kinda the wrong step to begin with. It didn’t really serve my purpose very well because you don’t really learn much of music theory. I mean sure, you learn how to read the drum notations but really it’s all just rhythm. However, the pay off is that the drums present in music sounds ridiculously clear to me now. When I hear a piece of music now, drums just clearly stands out subconsciously and you can identify which parts of the drums was being hit, therefore allowing you to play a song by ear. I don’t remember it to be so clear before I started learning drums.

So after the drums but I was 16 that time and had to set aside some time to prepare for the ‘O’ levels, afterwhich I spent a great deal of time investing in computers. Shortly after I went into Ngee Ann Polytechnic in pursue of my passion in filmmaking and hell it was crazy. I practically did not have time for other things during school days. Sure, there were free time during the 2 month holidays that comes every 6 months or so but it’s back to hectic schedule again. And finally, the 3 years of my polytechnic education has come to an end this is where I am now.  This is when I get to continue my music joruney.

So now comes the question: “Where do I see myself 5 years down the road?” Well, honestly, it’s still too early to tell but I’ll be sure to hang on to piano till I’m at least Grade 5 – that’s where most people stop right? I hope to break that barrier and advance through it. But ultimately, I am hoping to reach the stage where I am capable to play most of the pieces I enjoy.

Here are a few songs that I look forward to play. Enjoy them.

Man, I’m still amazed by this band cover. No keyboardist involved but the idea of playing in a band like this just wows me. I’ve always been looking for people to jam and play music. Sadly, not many of my close buddies are into music. Even the few people who play music differ from my taste of music. So… Hopefully, I meet new people that share my interests in the days that come.

Well, till then.

Sign off,
He

The Secret To Happiness

// April 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // Interesting, Thoughts, Videos

The study of our brain has revealed that happiness is synthesized by our brain. In a way it is like cognitive dissonance – the feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time (Move back and get your ass f*cked or move front and get oral f*cked). Our mind has an immune system that perceives the world in a way that makes us happy. Watch this interesting and entertaining talk by a brilliant professor of psychology at Havard:

My afterthoughts? I guess it can summarized by this quote from Helen Keller:

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we took so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened up for us.

Sign off,
He

There’s A Class For This

// April 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Life, Thoughts

Just a couple of days back, a few former classmates and I met up with my secondary school teacher Miss Chua (now Mrs Ang) at Parkway’s MOS Burger. It was a fruitful sharing session, considering the amount of information that was exchanged between us.

As soon as everyone arrived, the conversations just kept flowing, never stopping for a quiet moment. The strange thing is that even though we haven’t met in such a long time, we still talked about things freely without any restraint. We didn’t have to worry about filtering about words because we understood perfectly how each of us work. Even if words sounded too direct at times, the tolerance threshold we had was high and none of us took offense from them. Now that’s when you know the bond between you and your peers are strong. And yes, we never get bored about talking about the same old topics. 

It’s times like this that I appreciate and treasure. But sadly they never last for long. Like all good things, they have to come to and end. In a blink of an eye, it was time for us to say goodbye. Come to think about it, I can’t exactly remember when was the last time I met up with my teacher. I’m guessing it was the previous holidays because I was never ever free during school time.

But at the end of the day, it’s not really the low frequency of meetups that matters because we all have a mutual understanding for the reasons behind it – that we each have our own obligations in life. What really matters is whether we seize the opportunities that come to meet up or not. 

And here’s a great photo to end this post off.

Sign off,
He

Where Have All The Girls Gone?

// March 25th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Girls, Thoughts, Videos

This is probably my first post about Girls. To kickstart things, enjoy this kawaii dance by an attractive Japanese girl, Makoto. Please watch in 480p!!!

Here’s what I found out about this video. The dancer in the video clip is Makoto and the song that she is dancing to is Renai Circulation. Contary to what you may believe, Makoto invented this dance and released it as an original home made video in Nico Nico Douga, a popular video sharing website in Japan. It grew to be a sensation in Japan and lots of Japanese follow it. Hey, even gian (a caracter in Doraemon) dances it!

My comments for this dance? When my buddy, Ri Chang, showed me this video. I was totally captivated by it - both Makoto and the song. First of all, the song is very catchy and addictive. You can’t just get enough of it! And it doesn’t help that the girl dancing it is so cute and attractive. Lol, then again, the song wouldn’t have been that mesmerizing if not for Makoto. 

But honestly, I gotta admit that although I was never fascinated with Japanese girl, this one really hit me well. What is weird is that she is the exact opposite of what I would have preferred. She’s Asian, petite and looks too kiddy. Argh… Pedophile! But maybe that’s probably why she was able to pull that dance off. Oh well, too bad girls like Mokoto are only limited to Japan. Sigh…

Anyways, enjoy the clip!
Sign off,

He

The story They don’t know: When the Heart and Brain disagrees

// February 2nd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Life, Thoughts

Things were going well until the day when He’s Heart and Brain disagreed on a crucial matter. The brain advised thought and pragmatism while the heart sang its song, reminding him of the fond memories and feelings that surfaces.

What was He to do? Which part was He supposed to listen to? Struck with dilemma, He decided to isolate himself to think about He’s situation. And there, He’s inner voice speaks.

“Your brain is only a part of you, the same stays true for your heart. The fact that they disagree is because they express two different parts of your personality. Contrary to popular belief, we cannot be easily described by adjectives: good, bad, happy, sad. Because the truth is we tend to incorporate the whole spectrum of feelings and reactions to a given situation. The way we choose to act defines us as people since the trigger for that reaction was stronger within us at that given point in time. Your brain gives you a trigger while your heart another.

The solution? Silence your brain and heart for a while, and listen to a small voice within you, your instict. Try to throw away your fears for one second and listen to your true self. Forget about what other people say, forget the fears, guilts and all the negative feelings. Become in tune with who you really are, by silencing all the noise within. Try not to judge yourself for wanting something, since this is the only way to discover what you really want.”

Then He’s inner voice silenced as it has nothing more to say. It has no more answers to give. It only knew that He had to trust He‘s own inner voice to do what He needed to do.

Sign off,
He