She's lovely.

With time, things tend to fall apart (unless you reinvent yourself into X'Ho). My old Forstex 4 track recorder was a gem. One of the last times i used it was for Stories About Love. This is the demo for Sorry My Love. Celest Chong sang the studio version that appeared in the film of the same title. Please bear with the messy tracking on this demo written and recorded in 2000. I can't remember which month.

How was it when you found love
At the edge of a soft curve
Did you suck back your holler
You’re scared it might hurt
Sorry my love
When was it you felt calmer
On your back and you’re breathless
Did you hold on for comfort
Or just to lick my thirst
Sorry my love

Time zip by just like that. Two years ago Jeanne and I were in Vietnam. I didn't know that Laos/Cambodia would be our last trip together.
Up in the highlands of north Vietnam, Sapa.

Halong Bay

Late2002 in Bali

She's so beautiful.

This is one of my favorite piece from last year's Frontline. Marvellously arranged by Alex Oh, this is used as score for scenes involving central characters Yu Ning (Evelyn Tay) and Mike (Ix Shen). The two lovebirds would meet tragic endings- Mike dies and Yu Ning falls into a coma. I never gave this composition a title. We just referred to it as the Zhen Qin piece.

At the top of Phou Si Hill, we can see the whole of Luang Prabrang. Kilometres away are mountain ranges that keep staggering backwards, one after the other fading away into the misty distance. Here I am keeping close to lovely Jeanne.

Everyone should travel. Especially nearby Malaysia. You be surprised how much there is to experience just a few hours away from here. In particular the northern states, the Malay heartland that Ive heard so much about from my Malaysian friends but have yet to visit. I've always had this slight paranoia about the north but now that PAS has lost its grip, perhaps the Malay heartland would be less restricted in expressing itself culturally. On Malaysia's election night, I was following the results on TV when at about 10ish pm, my KL friend text me "they just lost the north. Come lets go there and get mabuk". I chuckle and a few weeks later I hung out with him in Kuala Lumpur, making distanced plans in the future to go roam the north.

So many plans. Some won't happen. Some do. Some in forms we never imagine. I believe in trying and doing, so I can benefit from experience to plan more future adventures.

I was cleaning out my harddisk and found this. Written for a short film a few years ago, it ended up not being used. Pat heard it but have no context around it to enjoy it. I know what he mean. A lot of the film/tv music i worked on last few years are like that. Hope you like this though.

2 of the most difficult subjects to photograph are animals and children- unless you're a hotshot camera pro with the know-how and gear. Darn those kids regardless of my pte ltd ways still make very endearing pictures. More of Laos and the kids we saw.

the pushcart kids

nothing can bring her down

helping out with the family's rice wine business

Luang Prabang's nite market

Tony Ting asked me about Cambodia/Laos recently and I highly recommend it. Indochina offers a very deep and rich sense of history and culture. On top of that they are just 2 to 3 hours away away. My fave is Vietnam. Coming a close second is Laos. But on some days Laos is my number one.
Jeanne at the entrance of the upper Pak Ou Caves

Travelling on dirt roads

Going home

Making music is easy. Making great music isn't. Serenaide has the talent and the songs to make a darn good album. While we wait patiently, here's The Sweetest from their La Salle show last september.

Advice to anyone who wants to go KL over public holidays- book your bus tickets way in advance. We booked ours 3 weeks b4 good friday and it was nearly all soldout.
A view from Park Inn where the plumbing still doesn't work well.

10 times zoom is fun. Steady hands and strong sunlight helps. Paul did loads of shopping. The girls would have been proud of him.
A view from our room window. This is Paul (on the right) rushing back to the hotel just b4 it started raining heavily.

I found the very-hard-to-find Levis' 505 black CORDUROY in Pertama Complex. Thanx Joe Kidd for the recommendation. The only thing that interest me was rock band teeshirt hunting. On the 3rd floor of Bukit Bintang Plaza there's a stall that does bootleg tees. Pick 2 designs and have 2 tees for RM50. The quality is not great but its passable at S$12 a piece. I choose a New Order and a Bjork. I swam a lot too utilizing the hotel pool to the max. 40mins on the 1st day. 20mins on the 2nd day (cos it was raining... and there was an awesome display of lightning flashing across the sky. Some were too close for comfort). 45mins on the 3rd day and 40mins on the last day. Make every cent count. Kiasu right?
Nite view from the hotel room.

Most nites we drank and chirpyhappy. Nite 1 Kelvin and Daryl borught us to one of the best bak kut teh (Just tell the cabbie, "old PJ Town, Public Bank there") ive ever had. Then its pub hopping at Bangsar ending up at Ronny Q's where we met Adrian of KLUE mag. At 11ish together with Sharon, we checked out Velvet Underground KL. Its the same as Singapore's- similar layout, look and feel. Yep same music and clubbers too. We sent Sharon back to Mandarin and peaked into Gareth whateverhisnameis post gig party makan. Nite 1 ended at a canto pub drinking premium Tsingtao (golden label!) and listening to a canto band mimicking GnR's Knockin' On Heavens Door and Beyond's Hai Guo Tian Gong. Nite 2 and 3 was less intense.
This is along Central Market busker's alley.

A short walk away from Central Market is S&M Shopping Center (yes, its S&M shopping center). In the basement there is a dozen video stalls selling anime with the biggest selection ever. Another must-shop-do for me is Music Magic (unit M26, Central Market) where I get my bahasa indo cds.
Observatory's Time Of Rebirth at Music Magic.

Music Magic stocked 20 copies about 1.5 weeks ago. By last friday, 7 were sold. Two days ago on sunday, I counted 9 copies left. On the other hand, Andrew (the boss) recounted to me about two Singaporeans who came into the shop. Time Of Rebirth was playing and it caught their interest. Upon enquiring and finding out its from singapore, their interest downgraded to disdain. "Forget it lah singapore bands cannot make it..." etc etc the-usual-use-their-backside-to-think-comments vomited out from their arsehole mouths. Andrew said "I should have told them this Observatory is a UK band". Yes, make them buy it and discover to their embarrassement its a Singapore band that they like after all.

Last nite Monday Sessions at Bar None returns with ace performances by Steel City Skies, Force Vomit and Tiramisu. I wished i had boot it but at the same time im glad i didnt cos i could cheer and clap and not worry about "spoiling" the recording. This is one i'm glad we sat front row.