let's be sociable.

back from sydney, perhaps not for long. we'll see.

it's hard not to enjoy the refreshing air and the cool temperatures that sydney has to offer. i envy them sydney-siders walking the streets, knowing that they won't be miserably drenched in sweat. can't say as much about sunny singapore! i wouldn't dread booking in to mowbray camp so much if i didn't know that i'd have to ascend 4 floors of stairs, then enter a stale, oven-like bunk, soaked in sweat, geez what a bright way to start the day! geez, why does the air in our bunk feel so lifeless anyway? it's almost as though there's some work of evil in the room, sucking the life energy out of anyone who enters.

the opera house and the harbour bridge are truly impressive, appealing from every angle. like bill bryson said, they seem to peek into every view you take in from all the nooks and crannies in port jackson, like some dude playing a prank by walking into the background of every group photo taken at a party. what a joy it is to sail here, and to be able to sail right up to such an icon.






i must say the sky and the lighting was exceptional on the afternoon that we had off. and i really like the last shot of the tall masted ship, Young Endeavour's the name. as though some angel is sitting atop the mast keeping a watchful eye on the goings on below.

i'd also like to thank facebook for allowing me to meet up with xin hui and her mates at a time when i was feeling pretty bored and lonely and yearning for something to do. such a joy to see familiar/singaporean faces in a faraway foreign land. heh.

these funding changes with the new opp and various nonsense makes me want to be even more determined and resolute to really prove my worth at the up and coming kiel week and whatever else i'm going to be allowed to go for. i'm starting to get in the mood for racing. beginning with next week i guess.

crikey mate! pt 2

suddenly the flight details are changed, i'm so lucky i packed this morning. now i'm flying at 8pm instead of 12 midnight! funny that i had to find this out from my gym coach, of all people. dissemination of information, now what organisation does that remind you of?

oh, the air is thin.

who are you, taking coffee, no sugar,
who are you, echoing street signs.

crikey, mate

hehe.

394 watts! surprised myself by impressing a cycling coach. how's that!

schindler's list

i finally watched the much heralded schindler's list yesterday. i'd admit that i found it profoundly moving and certainly disturbing, even when i was mentally prepared for the horror beforehand. yet it was still fascinating. the story, the characters, the black-and-white film. the faces, the accents, the scenes. fear, horror, hysteria, joy, sadness. the girl in the red coat. that theme by john williams. that theme, played by itzhak perlman, it's such a thing of beauty.

i'll probably have to watch it again.

"...the war. which brings out the worst in people. never the good, always the bad.

always the bad."

oh and here's another one.

Stern: We've received an angry complaint from the Armaments Board. The artillery shells, tank shells, rocket casings, apparently all of them have failed quality-control tests.

Schindler: Well, that's to be expected - start-up problems. This isn't pots and pans. This is a precise business. I'll write them a letter.

Stern: They're withholding payment.

Schindler: Sure. So would I. So would you. I wouldn't worry about it. We'll get it right one of these days.

Stern: There's a rumor you've been going around miscalibrating the machines. They could shut us down, send us back to Auschwitz.

Schindler: I'll call around, find out where we can buy shells, pass them off as ours.

Stern: I don't see the difference. Whether they're made here or somewhere else.

Schindler: You don't see a difference? I see a difference.

Stern: You'll lose a lot of money, that's the difference.

Schindler: Fewer shells will be made. Stern, if this factory ever produces a shell that can actually be fired, I'll be very unhappy.

i'm going to sydney! finally!

tomorrow... i prepare to meet my maker. haha! should i salute?
tomorrow, v02 max test.
tomorrow i start packing.

swine flu

pigs fly.

i hope all this doesn't stop me from flying to places this year. there are many places.

cog is short for 'change-of guard'. been doing it pretty often already.

cog is also a sydney based band that will be playing with oceansize in june.

oceansize!

cmon bman can i go.

i owe bman muchly for everything.

hi.

hello.

thumpthumpthumpthump.

smile. (laugh. laugh!)

bye.

happy monday!

skinny love

it's funny how i'm listening to all these songs about heartbreak.

i wanna talk about bon iver's album. for emma, forever ago.

man, i'm finding it hard to find the words. but i'll try.

some musicians sound more impressive with a stage and an audience to work with, with dazzling lights and awesome sonic acrobatics and stuff. i'm thinking cinematic orchestra here.

yet i can't imagine justin vernon playing a live show to top his recordings. his songs will chill you to the bone, leave you breathless. it demands your full attention.

because here is an album that is as much about the story behind it as it is about the quivering falsetto, the emotions and the atmosphere. "Justin Vernon secluded himself to a cabin in northwestern Wisconsin for three months planning to "hibernate." Three months of solitude resulted in the creation of For Emma, Forever Ago. "All of his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss and guilt that had been stock piled over the course of the past six years, was suddenly purged into the form of song."

From his interview:

Pitchfork: You don't strike me as the type of person that would be sick of it, but the cabin. I'm sure everybody talks about it.

JV: Everybody. That's the first question most ask.

Pitchfork: Are you thinking eventually in the future it's not going to be such a hot topic?

JV: Well, I don't know. Maybe. It makes sense that that's part of the story and everything, but that's part of any story of any record-- where was it record and how long and what were the people doing. I think people want to know where these events are made. That's why I like the word "record." I'm quoting Jackson Browne quoting Leonard Cohen, but it's a record of events. That's why they call it a record. And I like that because it's like it's what it is man-- it's a collection of songs, but it's not just the songs. Fleetwood Mac-- Rumours . Everyone was having sex with each other and doing cocaine-- a part of that made the record. I think that's an important part for people to understand-- the internal back story. But I'm over it. I just lived there [in the cabin]. It's not a big deal.

which is a bit sad, because it seems unlikely that justin will ever 'record' songs as haunting as 'flume', 'lump sum', 'the wolves', 'blindsided', 're:stacks' or 'skinny love'.

would you really rush out, for me now?

i do hope rachael yamagata proves me wrong. about the making the quiet heartfelt heartbreak songs work well live thing. cuz i don't like her louder stuff on the new album.

isn't it funny how this is just turning into a music blog? pretty.