The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Ok la, its not that emo as it sounds, the title is actually based on this book by Alan Stillitoe. It's a real good book, cos he describes those moments a runner goes through. Even though in motion, life somehow seems to freeze as you run. Everything falls into place. The past, present and thoughts of the future become amalgated, and still manages to make sense.

I ran City to Surf on Sunday (26/08), my second one. It was superb. Even though my timing was off by bloody 4 minutes as compared to last year, I enjoyed every soaking, knee crunching, muscle pulling moment. This was the first race that woke up late for. Woke up at 6.45, rushed through some crappy breakfast. Lucius drove over to St George Terrace. We picked up our race no. Forgot to mention that before we even left the house, it started raining. As we were waiting for the countdown to the race on St George Terrace, the rain kinda slowed down, but as soon as the race started, it poured. It was pretty automatic.

But I love running in the rain. The hills were killer as usual. I think there was about 30,000 runners. It was insane. As I was chugging my way up a hill, I heard a honk behind me. It was this dude dressed in a Batman costume pushing a pram shaped like the Batmobile and inside was his son dressed as Robin who had a small horn. Damn cool, despite the pram and his costume, Batman just ran up the hill like it was downhill.

It's the first break of the semester, though it does not feel like a break sadly cos I have an exam on the Friday of the break and an essay due on the Monday we return. Well suck it in I guess.

Last Friday was merdeka and the Consulate General organised a big ball that night. Not too bad la. Wine and champagne was free flow at our table oddly enough, so twas my first time getting intoxicated on Merdeka man. There were performances and what not including this Elvis impersonator who was not too bad I must say, but it was all about meeting different people. Pretty good time la overall, didnt really compensate for my absence at mambo but good enough I guess.

Less than 3 months to home, gotta up tt tempo man. Still don't know how to manage all the travelling in December, maybe I should just concentrate on managing my work load at the moment.

Of Dylan, travels and moving on

It's gonna be a short one. Sorry Miss Leong for the delay in posts.

Dylan was good, didn't play many old songs, lots of new stuff, much to the dismay of most of the crowd. But he ended with Like a Rolling Stone. Really the best for last, simply lovely. Band was awesome and of course that harmonica stole the show. Will write more bout the concert in http://www.mojofm.blogspot.com/

I need to travel, I keep thinking of Chiang Mai which is in the early stages of planning. I just wanna go camping again. Another place looming in my mind is India, for mid or end of next year. Just a month from south to north on the West Coast, starting in Kerala my grandparent's home, where I still have family members, family members who I ve only seen in pictures. It really looks like heaven. Windmills, paddy fields, my grandparent's schools which still insult the passing of time and of course the ancestral house, which my mother first visited as a 6 month old toddler and which my great grandmother maintained till her passing a few years ago. I have to see them all and meet my extended family.

Ok, so thats Dylan, and travels. Hmmm bout moving on.... touchy subject I guess. This year has definitely been a bloody eventful one (not all good as dictated by the laws) and I am only halfway past it. As usual that feeling of living a few lifetimes comes into play now and then. But yea, I guess things have gotta change. Sorry for being vague but I guess some of you must be used to that for now. 3 months eh? It will fly as a good friend just told me. Thinking of solidyfing the foundations of that backpacker's beach hut, the one that was suppose to be my mid life crisis plan, but now it seems like a pretty good option to avoid a mid life crisis, hmmmm.......

Dylan's Opening band, The Frames are bloody brilliant. They are from Ireland. Listen to 'God Bless Mom' for a taste.

3 Gigs in a Week

Yes, just a few hours ago, I ended my 3-Gigs-In-a-Week-Stint. It was good, am actually craving for more though, sigh.

Last tuesday, I went to see Lily Allen. Yes yes i know, not my kinda music,but I thought what the hell. Went with Andrew and Racheal. It was at Metros Freo. Opening act was pure crap, this rap duo called Macromantics, 2 women, a DJ and a Rapper. It was just weird, she was talking lots of crap (this from the little that I could gather). She looked like she was having an epileptic fit on stage. The Dj, DJ Amy was pretty cute though. Then Lily came on with her band which consisted of a 3 horn section, a bassist and an insane keyboardist that plays like Chris Martin. She was really down to earth. I dont really enjoy her music, but it was fun and feel good. Came out refreshed, twas something different, though I did wish we bought tickets for Kaiser Chiefs who were playing the same night. Oh yea, Lily covered Blondie's Heart of Glass, it was a nice slow accoustic version.

Last Friday, it was the Shins at Metro City. Went with the same gang plus a few more people. The opening act, Ruby Suns from NZ was just mind blowing. The keyboardist, guitarist and drummer kept taking turns playing each other's instruments. It was really an eye opener, made a mental note to buy their album when its get released in Feb. The Shins were just lovely, real classy guys, and I am not just talking bout their appearance. The music was beautiful though New Slang wasnt tt good live. For their encore, they came back and played Pink Floyd's Breathe. That just got me ecstatic. Freaking good show, regretted not buying the shirt.

Yest night, we went to see Ok Go. Not that big a fan, but I dig some of their music. Their opening band was Dirty Secrets, a Perth based band. Pretty good riffs, though the volume was really way up, you could see people sticking their fingers in their ears. But they rocked la, quite retro. They lowered the volume for OK Go. They came in with a bang. Through out the show, they attached a video cam to the lead singer's mic, and everynow and then, they'd project his face on screen, and they did it for all the band members at one point. They were a real interactive band, joking with the crowd and talking cock. They did covers from ELO and Violent Femmes. For their accoustic session, they actually got down from their stage and stood in the middle of the crowd while we sat around. It was like a hippie peace rally. Really nice.

Next gig is Bob Dylan on the 23rd Aug and probably Switchfoot end of the month, and a little birdy told me that The Killers are coming, hmmm. Must go for more!! Well twas a good week. Thanks heaps Andrew

Current gig record

Deep Purple
Sting
We Will Rock You (Queen tribute)
Eric Clapton
Eskimo Joe
Jason Mraz
Something for Kate
Lily Allen
The Shins
Ok Go

This of course does not include the house bands I normally frequent around Perth.
Need to keep saving more cash

Once again

Yup, uni starts in 8 hours time, the 2 second semester.

A few weeks back I was anxious to start uni, but now that I am here, I feel mixed, don't know why la. I keep telling myself the faster uni ends, the faster I go home. At the same time the faster uni flies by, the faster I say goodbye to friends. And as much as you keep telling yourself that you will keep in touch, you hardly do. Don't get me wrong, it does happen, but not as often as we want it too. I m a pretty lucky guy to still have strong bonds with my high school friends, I hope it happens with my uni friends after we ve parted. Every year I go to friend's graduation, followed by the sending off. Kinda feel like an old geezer, but hey I should be thankful I am still studying and working part time to make things easier. Just got off work 2 hours ago, and they were playing 2 hours of U2 non stop. That kinda put things in perspective. Listening to U2 helps me see the natural order of things. They sing songs for realists I guess, though I am sure I do not fall in that category.

Inwood is now full. Lester and Kynan moved in on Friday and we start a new Inwood Chapter. Should be a good sem with Inwood men. Last week was orientation and a few of us helped out as Student Helpers. Twas damn good, really had fun. Met heaps of new people. It honestly felt like my first year all over.

Well its 12.30, time to knock off, gotta start that cycle now especially when it comes to sleep, sigh, no more late mornings, or rather afternoons.

The Sun must feel so cheated

Yes, I am sure thats how I would feel every morning, if I were to rise in all my glory only to be shadowed by rain clouds, again and again and again. Well yea that pretty much sums up the weather in Perth. Reminds me of London and Melbourne. At times I guess it really gets dull, but sometimes I enjoy the dark clouds, especially if you are inside with a good book. Why are humans such suckers for these things? Aih better to enjoy it than figure it out I guess.

A week and a half to uni and I keep telling myself to get my room in order, but yet nothing happens. I m in too chilled and laid back a mood to do anything, except read, run, watch movies, eat and sleep. Prob do some exploring today, find some old comic or record shop.

Amongst this lacklustre environment, a thought hit me. I need to travel more. Ok that thought hits me all the time, but I m actually gonna plan for a big trip next year, its gonna be 3 weeks to a month of travel. I m not gonna say where it is, but its in Asia la, hehe. But yea, I gotta start saving now and plan it properly. Well, not planned to the finest detail, cos some spontaneity is important to make the trip even more enjoyable. I like spontaneity, I am not a spontaneous person but wish it was in me. But yea anyone up for an adventure? Still got a year ahead, so plenty of time to decide. I think half of the fun will be the planning.

Good times

Lets just say my trip to the East Coast was superb, it was a blast. Not gonna go into much details, but there are pictures to fill the gaps (I hope).

Sydney

Only spent 3 days in Sydney, but it was a good 3 days. Thanks Loi, Yi Ling, Tze Ling and Sashi.

Sydney was really cosmo man, it reminded me alot of Singapore. Did alot of exploring on foot, which was good, cos when travel by car or bus, you miss alot of the finer details, the small alleyways and the quaint pubs. Speaking of pubs, We did a little pub hopping, which was real swell, visited the oldest pub in Sydney (think it was 1820 something). They brew their own stuff and it was lovely. Very quaint. The German bar we went to had 0.5 litre beers, hmmm superb. Also paid homage to Max Brenner (Genius with chocolate). Visited Bondi ,which was real nice, but a pity it was winter , so missed out on all them bikinis. It was nice catching up with Loi again, its the first time 2 members of the PA have come together on Aussie soil. Lovely

Brisbane

I think out of all the aussie cities, Brisbane is my favourite. It has a nice balance of city and suburban living, plus I enjoyed all the ferry rides. Good way to see the city. It was great seeing Joel, Marilyn and Lian Meng again. It was like in school again. Apologies to Josh if he felt left out at times. These ppl are like family man, hehehe. Went to Gold Coast for a day trip, got tricked by Calvin (Joel's housemate) to go swimming. Shd ve know it was cold considering it was winter, but it was refreshing i must say. The best part was going to The Vic to watch State of Origin (Annual rugby game btw Queensland and New South Wales, sadly Queensland lost). It was open mic night and they really played some good songs, the kind you can really sing your hearts too with all the alcohol fumes distorting your vocal chords, but who cares cos we were all tipsy and merry. Josh, Joel and myself planted ourselves in a corner singing and drinking in the background while Miss Mak and her friend Kiki sang some good tunes on the mic. I will not say how the night ended, but let's just say, we ll talk bout it for years to come, and that my friends there will one day tell their children, 'Kids, don't drink alcohol, its bad for you. If you don't believe daddy/mummy, let me tell you bout Uncle Vishant on that night in the Vic', sigh....

But it was lovely, in the day we would just sit on the balcony, drink, listen to music and talk bout the good ol times. It was good. Reminded me how lucky I am to have such pals.

Well, uni begins in about 2 weeks time, Shd be a good semester. November approaches ever so slowly with hurried lapses now and then, so its ok la. Got 2 races in end of August and early September, a 12 and 21 k. Really wanna improve my 21 k and be a better hill runner, cos tts my weakness. See how that will go.

Well thats bout it I guess, Here's to second semester. Congrats and good luck to all those who have graduated, now begins the real task eh?

The Sound of Silence

Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while i was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams i walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,'neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light i saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.
"fools" said i,"you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that i might teach you,
Take my arms that i might reach you."
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the signs said, the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence

There is a version of this song done by Paul Simon and Bob Dylan which is a superb rendition. Make sure you listen to it.

Tribute to Loga

As many of you know, Loga Aramugam of Malaysia's Alleycats passed away couple of weeks ago from lung cancer. He was a true performer and lived for the music. Click on the link to 'All About Real Music' for a tribute to Loga. Keep the music alive people.

More flashbacks

Just more flashbacks in images, of places and people I d love to be with now

Flashback

My Uncle Venu has always been a major influence in my life. He is the youngest of mum's siblings and her only brother. Being the youngest in my mum's family, it was natural for me and my sis to cling on to him and to connect with him. For most of my childhood, he was away in India studying medicine and I can hardly remember hanging out with him during those early years. But he always struck me as someone who was cool, someone to look up to, someone I d want to be.

My mum was closest to him (and still is) when she was growing up, mainly cause of the short age gap as compared with her 2 older sisters. Mum's family lived in a rubber estate in Kluang, Johor, where my grandfather was the estate manager. When me and Div were much younger, mum would tell us all the crazy thing our uncle would do. He was always the adventurous one in the family, going of on solo expeditions of the estate before he was even 7. Naturally, this would freak my grandmother out, resulting in her dispatching the local labourers to go looking for him. Often he would be found on top of some tree. He was pretty much a real boy, and still is actually. He used to take things apart and put them back, much to the dismay of my grandparents. He did things his way and was definitely one not to be bound by rules. A free soul in short, very much like my dear sister. Mum was usually the quiet partner in crime, though she never realised it. But she usually accompanied him, pretending as if they were gourmet chefs preparing first class cuisine with exotic ingredients (usually leaves and water) with her masak- masak set.

He is also a big music lover. Pretty much all the retro stuff I was exposed to was because of him (apart from me dad's influence). He definitely got me in love with The Doors (he always reminded me of Jim Morrison in some way), Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Neil Diamond. Mum admits that it was because of him, she fell in love with classic rock and all the gold retro stuff. He is also a voracious reader who introduced me to Stephen King. Pretty much every classic or any good stuff I ve read of was because of him and mum.

He now works at a clinic in Johor Bahru and is married with 3 sons. 3 boys who I am absolutely mad about and who make homecoming so enjoyable. The oldest boy, Vishnu who is in kindergarden now has taken after me when it comes to his fav superhero; BATMAN. Whenever we buy toys for him, its usually me and my uncle who get more excited and tend to end up checking the toy out, oblivious to the sighs and shaking heads of my mum and aunts. Vishnu is getting there musically as well. When I was last home, he told me, 'Vishant aten (aten is a respectful call for an older brother), I learned 2 new songs from the radio' and he proceeded to sing choruses from I Shot the Sheriff and Phil Colins 'Another Day in Paradise', all this at 6 yrs old.

During my summer break back home, I didnt get much of a chance to see him, cos I was just too busy travelling, meeting up with friends and I guess I just didn't put it down as a priority. Towards the last 2 weeks of my break, with mum's constant reminding, I made up my mind to go visit him. I left Malaysia for Perth on a Thursday, and it was the Monday of that week that I went to see him. It was just an overnight thing, but I am so glad I did it in the end.

Arrived in JB in the evening and was greeted by my uncle and his 2 sons (the youngest one, Rohan was just 6 months old then and was with his mother). It was good, the moment I got into the car, the kids kept bombarding me with questions and all kinds of funny words, the kind you make up at that age. We went straight to dinner at Pizza Hut. The second boy, Hari is a real food connoisseur. He was making such a racket with Vishnu, but the moment the food arrived, he piped down and ate his pizza quietly with glazed look in his eye. Every bite was ecstasy to him. After dinner we dropped the kids at their mum's place, where we stayed for a bit as Vishnu wanted me to watch an Ironman DVD with him. After wishing them goodnight, we left for my uncle's place. From that point on, it was like 2 bachelors enjoying life. He popped in a newly bought Deep Purple concert DVD and blasted the volume. Ah tt was sheer ecstasy. We were like 2 young rockers drumming our fingers, shaking our legs and singing along to those Rock Gods. We also watched a Cat Stevens concert which blew my mind away (he eventually gave the dvd to me). After awhile, about 2 in the morning, we got hungry and went for mamak. We just sat there with 2 servings of garlic naan, tandoori chicken and 2 teh halia each, talking cock, complaining about politics, discussing family matters, our individual future plans. It was good, real good, I felt we really connected then, like brothers, like a best friend. We went to bed at 5.30 am.

It was sad leaving the next day, I just kept regretting that I didnt spend enough time with him and that really sucked. Getting on that bus was hard, I promised I d email him when I got back to Perth.

To this day, I havent emailed him and it's incidences like this that really piss me off. I just hate it when we get carried away with how busy we are in life, till we forget to do things that mean the most to us. He called me up last week. He was visiting my mum and h brought his boys along. He asked about my foot and asked how things were going. He even asked with a tinge of hope, if I was coming back for the mid year break, but I dashed those hopes away, sigh. It was good to talk to him and the boys, made me feel a bit more complete. I really cant wait to go home. Thoughts of being with him and the rest of my family always get me going when I m down. Its just that thought of seeing them again and just being myself.

Please turn the heat down

Less than 2 months to final. The semester has flown damn fast. Just trying to recall stuff that happened. Well I ll start with a recent mishap. Was down south in Busselton for a Dairy farm practical with nicole last week. All went well, actually enjoyed my time there. This is the farm notoriously famous for having Foxtel (Satelite Tv). Me and Nicole concluded that if we were to get Foxtel back in Perth, we d definitely drop out of Vet School.

The Farm is managed by Brendan Lindberg, a pretty cool guy. Best part is that he is passionate about retro music particularly classic rock from the 70s. Everytime we got into the truck, he d play my kinda music from his Ipod. Made those early mornings (5.30 AM start work!!!!) alot more bearable. We d start work at about 5.30 in the morning. Nicole and I took turns between milking and feeding the calves every morn. We d follow Brendan or Marie (Brendan's mum) to milk and Geralding (Brendan's sis) to feed the 30-40 calves they have. Once again it was good country life, hard work, but you ended the day with a calm note, sorta satisfied. We d usually finish morning work at 10 am, have breakfast, chill a bit before we headed off with Brendan to do misc work like mixing grain for the cattle, or fixing fences, inspecting beef cattle, dehorning etc. All was lovely.

Disaster struck on the last day (Friday) when after helping Geraldine clean some dairy equipment with a hot water pipe (98 degrees acc to Brendan's dad, Doug), I accidently let the pipe swing and all this water got into my wellington boots.

I ve never jumped so high in my life. Took my boots off, and saw my skin sorta melting/peeling off, went and asked nicole if she knew where the first aid kit is. She immediately told Marie who drove me home, called the medical center and got her other daughter Asher to send me to Busselton town. The ride was only 10 minutes but it felt forever. Got sent straight to the treatment room, where they were waiting for a doctor to come look at it. The wait was long. The nurse gave me 2.5 ml of morphine and the pain got worst, in the end she gave me total dose of 10 ml. I was all woozy and drowsy but the pain was there still. All they could do was drain the blisters, clean it and put on some dressing. Morphine is a bitch cause it also causes nausea and I just couldnt keep in any food the whole day.

It's been a week plus now. Very slowly improving. Pain a bit worst today cos went to work last night which was not a very good idea (oh ya, working at Ezy Plus Kardinya, a nearby 24 hr convenience store). Worst thing is that i m not allowed to play any sports for at least 7 week. No running, badminton, capoeira. Even walking to uni is frowned upon. Thanks alot nicole for the daily pick up. I ve just gotta soldier on i guess. Sucks to feel this way. Every step hurts. I would put a pic of the burn up here, but i think it would be deemed to sick and not appropriate. I d prob get some cash if i sent it to some snuff fan. Hmmmm......

Besides that I guess all is good, just a little buried under work, but hey what else is new? MMA's first catamaran sailing trip was a success and a blast. Everyone had a good time. I got thrown into the river bloody 3 times thanks to Desmond, you piece of crap, hehehe, but at least he got thrown in as well in the end. Next one is next sat to Caeversham Wildlife Park. Should be good as well.

Its freaking cold these days. I think its going to a be an unmerciful winter come june/july.

Still planning to go East coast end of the yr but nothing concrete yet. Sorry guys, will mail you all soon to confirm details.

Missing home as usual.

Well thats about it I guess. Take it easy guys and hopefully the next post comes alot faster.

Ya I know

Yup, thousand apologies for being MIA for so long. Was just savouring every moment at home plus I do have a crappy internet connection at home. Another really really good reason is this

Meet the new nephew Shamnath, born last October. Was busy trying to be the doting uncle . What a darling honestly!! When he starts to smile,thats when you just feel all soft inside, plus he reserves his smiles and doesnt just do it simply. When he laughs, its one of the best feelings in the world, but of course when he cries thats another deal. Quite a manipulative fella, already an expert on turning on the crocodile tears. His mum (my cousin) calls him a 'tipu sultan' (king of lies). Best part is I think he is a real music fan. I use to sing him classic rock ballads to put him to sleep, but he just wouldnt sleep, cos he'd just stare at you with this stoned look and when you stop singing, he d try and copy you, which would end up with me giggling so much, he d do the same.

Being with this small fella really was a beautiful experience and it was really hard to say good bye to the little fella (though he couldnt give a damn whats going on). To know that I ll miss all the things he is gonna do, is pretty heartbreaking. I mean, when I next see him, he ll probably be standing or maybe even walking. One thing for sure is that this fella is also an animal lover. He has this little animal book which has pop up animals and he never gets sick of it. Ok la thats enough of the little joker. Cant wait to see him in nov.

Started out my hols in Taiping zoo, had an attachement there for a week. Pretty good, did lots of stuff that I usually dont get to do. Mr Lim, the veterinary officer there was a real good teacher, real patient and willing to teach. It was a good week. Before I flew back to Perth, I met up with him again to say thanks. He said he expected me back end of the yr to help out. Real dedicated guy.

Also went to chiang mai over new year. Superb trip. Went with Felix, Min and Grant. Not much practical work, more of an intro to the place. Most memorable was spending new yr's eve eating thai cili padi with one of the local women and drinking thai whiskey, followed by early new yr's morn in the latrine with horrible food poisoning. Let's just say, I had the whole works (it wasnt just puking, it was both and simultaneously). Met Chun Lek, the lady who runs Elephant Haven. Real lovely lady and damn inspiring. I ve never seen someone so committed to a cause. I just wish I had an ounce of tt. Will prob head over end of the year for more hands on stuff.

Besides that much of the hols were spent with friends, late night yam chas, also went back to Templer's after dunno how long man (thanks alex and neo). Just spent the whole morn trekking and splashing bout in the waterfall. Damn syiok!!

Didnt spend as much time as I wanted with Su. Will make it up end of the yr.

Also frequented this cheap bar (thanks kah leong) where a jug is RM 27, superbness. Spent my last night there too.

Also planning a big meet up middle of the yr on the east coast with Joel, Marilyn n Loi. Cant wait.

Did do a whole lot of other things, but will write another time bout tt.

Got back 2 thurs ago. Went for Eric Clapton's concert, superb stuff, bloody brilliant, then went on road trip up north to Denham. Camped along the way, lasted 5 days. Real good one.

Today is the 4th day of uni. Seems like a really interesting semester, really rivetting units (no seriously). Bought our first stethoscopes, damn cool man. Also my last sem as MMA pres, enough is enough, time to pass on and let the new board run it.

Well thats it for now, just a short update on whats been happening. Here's a special shout out to my family (esp div n mum, miss you all like hell) and friends back home. I miss you all alot man. Twas good times. See you all in Nov, must do more travelling and drinking then yea!

Will also be starting a new blog on Classic Rock and retro music. Should be up soon. Also happy bday to all Scouts all over the world, as we Celebrate Lord Baden Powell's (founder of scouts) bday (thanks for the reminder alex). Once a scout always a scout.

Temple of the King by Rainbow

One day in the year of the fox
Came a time remembered well
When the strong young man of the rising sun
Heard the tolling of the great black bell
One day in the year of the fox
When the bell began to ring
Meant the time had come
For one to goTo the temple of the king
There in the middle of the circle he stands
Searching, seeking
With just one touch of his trembling hand
The answer will be found
Daylight waits while the old man sings
Heaven help me
And then like the rush of the thousand wings
It shines upon the one
And the day had just begun
One day in the year of the fox
Came a time remembered well
When the strong young man of the rising sun
Heard the tolling of the great black bell
One day in the year of the fox
When the bell began to sing
Meant the time had come
For one to go
To the temple of the king
There in the middle of the people he stands
Seeing, feeling
With just a wave of a strong right hand
He's gone to the temple of the king
Far from the circle at the edge of the world
He's hoping, wondering
Thinking back on the stories he's heard
Of what he's going to see
There in the middle of the circle it lies
Heaven help me
Then all could see by the shine in his eyes
The answer had been found
Back with the people in the circle he stands
Giving, feeling
With just one touch of a strong right hand
They know of the temple and the king

Syd Barrett 1946-2006

You were caught on the crossfire
Of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

Shine on You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd.

When I first joined the Floydian club, I had never heard of Syd Barrett. My uncle got me hooked on Pink Floyd, mainly through Another Brick in the Wall pt 2. Then I bought their other album Wish You Were, which just blew me away, cos tt song Shine on You Crazy Diamond definitely has the best build up to a song and David Gilmour's guitar on that is just incendiary . The words also kinda appealed to me and it always got me wondering who Roger Waters was talking about. Some reading up led to me learning about Syd Barrett, the man who started Pink Floyd, David Gilmour's predecessor.

In a nutshell, Roger Keith Barrett was born in Cambridge in January 1946. His father was a pathologist who passionately dabbled in botany and painting. He picked up the guitar at 11. He also took after his father artwise, which led a to scholarship to Cambridge Art College. Some of his artworks can be seen in some Floyd albums (See Emily Play). It was at Cambridge that he met his other Floyd future band mates, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and the man that would replace him as Pink Floyd leadman, his good friend, David Gilmour.
Their first album together, Piper at The Gates of Dawn was pretty mind blowing. Btw the title for that album came from a chapter of Syd's favourite book, Wind in the Willows. It was an interesting play on kindergarden songs with eccentric twists. It was mainly the way he wove the words magically with typical English finesse. He was also one of the few British artists to sing with an unaltered British accent. If you listen to any of his songs, you knew right away Syd was an Englishman.
The band came together in 1966, but it was all short lived, as Syd was a complicated man. Some thought he was a schizo. There were times when during perfomances he would just black out standing there not uttering a word in front of his audiences as the rest of the band tried to cover up this mishap by playing as hard as they could, or he would just alter the lyrics and tune without first telling the band. He would also be absent for recording sessions and would play mind games with his band mates. LSD played a major part in this psychosis and pressure of the band's success with Piper was taking it's toll on Syd.
Syd's departure from Floyd came in 1968, announced by Roger Waters who also mentioned that Syd's good pal, David Gilmour would be replacing him. Syd quietly left and went on to record 2 solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. These 2 albums just projected the inner turmoil within the man. At last he put down his guitar, and lived out his life as a painter in his mother's house in Cambridge till the day he died. Though he may have died this year, July 7th (complications from diabetes), he was pretty much dead to the rest of the world since 71. However his influence on pyschedelic rock was enormous with people like Micheal Stipe (REM), Beck, Elton John, John Frusciante (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) citing Syd as a major influence. We cannot forget his influence on post-Syd Pink Floyd songs as well, the main ones being Shine on, Comfortbaly Numb, Hey You, and Time.
All in all, Syd was a genius, a tortured one, but still a genius who created psychedelic music. His influences can be seen everywhere and anyone who has ever listened to him just get more and more curious as to what made the man tick. His music is a goldmine and such talent is sadly extinct in this day and age.
Wherever you are Syd, rest in peace and Shine on You Crazy Diamond

Margaret River

Left Wed morn, got back Fri evening. A short, simple trip full of mirth, crap talking, beautiful scenery, sexual innuendos, booze (well on my part at least) and the appreciation of good friends. I ll let the pics do the talking.

Cream - Tales of Brave Ulysses

This just sends shivers up my spine. Bloody good one. What a combination of talent. Jack Bruce definitely has the best voice for a rock group, even better than Robert Plant or David Gilmour

Hmmm

Yea I ll have to agree with nicole, all this work makes me wanna blog more. Heck all this work makes me wanna do all but study. I ve got my physio appraisal due this fri and an immuno test on thurs. I wanna finish my damn appraisal tonight so I can concentrate on the test. Cos come Thurs I wanna let loose, but what i need is a live band more than alcohol, one that doesnt just play the same old pub anthems, ya know Bon Jovi, Guns n Roses, The Killers etc. Why cant a live band play Led Zepp or Pink Floyd or Rolling Stones or The Doors? Aih sadness.
I think my running season is out for the moment, well till I get back at least. I m not gonna be able to race in Malaysia till 2010 cos all the races are mainly from March to Sept, when I ll be in Aust, so I guess its aussie races all the way. But don't get me wrong, I love them. There is a better crowd here, and the climate is kind to you, there is also more support from the by standers. But yea there is something bout running back home. My second race (10k) in Ipoh was the most memorable apart from the recent 21 km. My family really showed support there esp me dad. I told him I ll go up myself and stay with a friend. But he insisted on coming along with mum n div. It was a good family vacation and of course to see your family at the finish line cheering you on is sublime. Good times. It was also then tt my sis played a prank on ppl at the hotel. She put heaps of powder on her face, let her long black hair down and dressed in a white robe and she just kept walking around our floor with her head slightly down. Holy crap, the amount of ppl she scared. She actually had some guys running. Tts my sis.
About 2 months more till I m overwhelmed with the humidity of home and I cant wait. Once again there is all these plans in my head, plus some of me frens here might b comin to visit so yea tt will be good and of course cant wait to see all me frens back home. Cant wait for all that Sun morn bak kut teh with the PA and the thani sessions of course. We really gotta go back to that toddy place man and heat more tom yam balls. But yea it ll be heaps different without CK there. Hmmmmm we shd prob do msn conference wit him at Williams (they got wireless wat!). See la. Watever it is, lets all go Langkawi and booze, everyone!!! The PA, tong, joel, wai shien, marilyn, yan liang, derek, boon, kah leong and everybody else la, God bless duty free.
Ah okok I gotta get back to finishing this appraisal, I m getting ahead of myself, must be late night delusions. Stupid Red Bull.
Rock on all!

'Relax, I need some infomation first,
Just some basic facts,
Can you show me where it hurts,
There is no pain you are receding
'A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain you would not understand
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb"
Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd

P.s speaking about Pink Floyd, I haven done my part as a fan to commemorate the passing of Syd Barrett, founder of Pink Floyd who died last June. I will do so in my next blog. Shine on you crazy diamond

Baby Blues

Wohooooooo, my cousin sister gave birth to her first child today at 12.36 pm. It was a boy. Just a month back ,my aunt gave birth to her 3rd son!! Holy crap I cant wait to go back and see these small farts. I am pretty much officially an uncle. I talked to my cousin today. The poor girl sounded so tired, but she was pretty ok, cos it was a caeserian. She said when the baby was coming out, he peed all over himself. hehehe, kind of a self blessing or either that scared of the outside world. Cant blame the little bugger. But yea it was nice to talk to all my family again, really made me wish I was there. My grandma is now a great grandmother and my aunt is a grand ma. Best part is both the new babies are uncle and nephew (I forgive you if you are pretty much lost rite now). The older baby's (the uncle) name is Rohan, damn nice name. My cousin hasnt decided on one for her son, but yea whats the hurry eh? Now I m even more impatient to go back and see my new cousin and nephew. What a bloody miracle. Promise to put pics up when I get them. Cheerio

21 km at 21 yrs, wohoo!!!!

Yes, it has finally been done. After a good warm up last week with the 12km City to Surf, I set out to do my first half marathon yesterday. Got there early with Jon and his friend Cindy to register. Did a warm up run and streched. A crowd of about 500 people showed up. We started at 8 am. It was a real scenic run. We started at Burswood casino and ran along Swan River to the UWA boat house and turned around back to Burswood. It was all going well. In fact too well I think cause I really paced myself slowly for the first 10.5 km. Could ve increased the pace. Only after 10.5 did I push up a bit. Also pushed up the pace when I saw Jon on his way back to Burswood, as we crossed, we slapped hands and that really boosted me. The crowd was also damn supportive clapping and cheering us on. Some of my fellow runners also boosted me on, calling me on to keep it up.At 12 km, I was bloody hungry. I had to run pass this huge billboard of Kit Kat caramel with the bloody caramel oozing out of the damn wafers. Plus since it was father's day, lots of families were out having a BBQ and drinking and being merry. The smell of sausage sizzle never appealed more. It was around this point that me right ankle started acting up. My right ankle has always been weak since I was 15 after a hike gone wrong, but yea really pushed it this time. Stamina wise, I was ok, not out of breath, but man my legs were shaking when I crossed te finish line, it was more of a stumble across it. And the pain was something else but yeah gotta make me legs a bit stronger. But honestly, besides the pain, I was on a high, like I just had enough alcohol to give me that buzz, but this was so much more satisfactory. Felt invincible and top of the world. Came back and slept till 5. Legs still aching today, had to walk real slow to class and all, but who cares, what I acheived yesterday is worth all the pain in the world.
I don't know if my running season is out for the semester. There are a few 10k s comin up, but yea I ll see how it goes. I m just a happy man, and I think I am still on a high from yesterday. It still seems like a dream, a real good one. Well thats about it, now its back to burning that midnight oil and catching up with work after 1 hell of a week. Keep pushing guys and don't stop running. And thanks alot Jon, thanks for all the pushing and motivation.
Bring the pain and bring the glory.