Ubin trip is sorta fun. Quite hot tho. Price of everything is going up, even the Ubinites feel tt they have to up their prices.

But sadly, our wages to do not rise as much as we'd like to offset this inflation. And even sadder is that most people are still continuing their wayward lifestyles.

Sometimes yes, i may be stingy. But i guess most of the time, i'm just trying to save as much money as i can, to have a realistic chance being able to marry Shirui in 2-3 years. People always ask when's my turn. They probably just have no clue how much money is involved in the entire process.

Oh well.

Troy Stetina's book is pretty good, cos it really hones in on a particular technique. I'm still at the legato section (din play much lately), but i can feel how much precision it takes to play legato well. Alot of the fine details just tend to get overlooked or covered up, especially when you play somewhat fast. But after working on just the left hand these few days, i can sense the improvement on my picking as well.

"Good left hand technique translates to good picking technique"

1 more month to go. Hope i can finish the book soon.

Workout Log:
Bike in Ubin ~ 2.5 hrs
8 x 320m interval runs in 1:10 + 1:10 rest in between.

Interval runs are SUPER shag. But it feels SUPER good after tt too. Runners high haha.

It's been a while since i went to a bday party.

It's been a while since i went to a bbq too.

Things i learnt:
Prawns on a stick = Brilliant.
Chicken Wings with no honey = not so good
Stingray = good. Lotsa stingray = very good
iPod = good. iPod with Best of the Best hits = Best.
Someone who can cook = Best.

Small parties are nicer than big parties. Less presents, more love.

Maybe i should have a small wedding too? Small cosy affair, nothing too fancy. Simple, elegant, classy perhaps.

It's true tt most pple are pretty negative when it comes to social conversations. Always dwelling on the misfortunes and setbacks in life. I'm quite negative myself too.

Funny how the angmohs are always so positive and upbeat. Always talk abt happy stuff.

Hard to be positive when it doesnt radiate from within you i guess. So it's good to do stuff that makes you happy. Like for me, tt means working out, guitar and reading stuff. For some people it's shopping and ktv.

I guess as long as it makes you happy, just do it.

Workout Log:
Nothing today! Rest! Body's still quite painful. Esp the ass. Stupid leg press.

Workout Log:
10 x 10 Lateral Lifts + 10 Frontal Lifts
10 x 10 Shoulder Press + 10 Wide Arm Pushups
10 x 10 Bicep Curls + 10 Close Arm Pushups
5km Slow Run
8 x 20 Situps + 100 Calf Raises

Just in case anyone wanted to see some of the nice-nice wedding shots of my bro's, here it is:

Bro's right. I never looked happier playing the guitar.

Gymming's fun, but as i said before, i only do legs and core there. Cos it's like the only stuff u can't do at home. So im kinda the weirdo tt keeps rotating around the legs machines, while all the beefies are sizing each other up and outdo one another with heavier dumb-bells.

Dumb-bells, i think there's a good reason y they are called that.

Today is a shag day. Ball work kills.

Workout:
(Gym)
Bike 5mins
10 x 10 Single Leg Press + 10 Single Leg Hamstring Curls + 10 Single Leg Quad Curls
5 x 100 Single Calf Raise
10 x 10 Leg Lifts + 10 Back Extension (with 5 Kg weight) + 5 Chin ups (with 5kg Weight)
(Ball)
10 each at A,B,C
100 jumpers
10 Consecutive Free Throws (made 11)
50 Three Pointers
10 Consecutive Free Throws (made 14, cos a pretty girl distracted me on the last one)
Ball Work.

Think ball work as the ganon baker vid. Just tt i try to go as fast as i possibly can, which is probably just half his speed. Super shag on the deltoids, the quads, the back. 20 mins, and i'm drenched in sweat.

Madness.

Lesson learnt in IPPT today: Never eat a buffet the day before your IPPT. Or it will cause u to puke after your run.

Not too bad, 11:18 for 2.4, where half the run i was writhing in pain due to stitches, and the last 400m i was on the verge of puking. Of course, my lunch came out right after i crossed the finish line.

I dun ever remember puking for running. This is a first.

I actually tot i had a good shot at gold this time, when i clocked 3 mins for the first 800m. Guess not.

Back's still sore.

Working on Troy Stetina's book now. Building the fundamental techniques this time. Left hand, right hand, nice broken down into parts where u can hone in and focus on the precise movement. Abit too technical, but nevertheless useful.

I'm at the legato part right now. Never much of a legato person, but the licks make me think twice now. It's harder synchronise the legato bits because some fingers do move faster than the other, so it takes alot more discipline than just pure picking.

Tml's gym day. Woo! Gonna work on the legs! ^^

IPPT 2008:
12 chin ups
40 sit ups
9.5 sec shuttle run
250cm standing broad jump
11:18 2.4km run

Think it's quite redundant to log the guitar part. Oh well.

During this holidays,
I sat for the worst exam of my life. So bad that even when i had the answer sheet with me, i dunno where to start copying.
I managed to dunk. The feeling was great.
Aviva contacted me and wanted me to join their company. Apparently they offered a ridiculously high salary too.

Oh yea, those were some of the dreams i had. Fascinating.

Talked to Johnson and Chao, though they had differing views, the conclusion is still the same.

I realised i still wanted to be the kickass rock guitarist who can compose well and is versatile enough to handle most genres. And still be able to whip up some kickass love songs to cheat girls.

I realised i still wanted to be a kickass basketballer who can drive, dish and shoot, and dictate the tempo of the game.

I realised i still wanted to be the guy tt all my stats friends come to when they need help with their work.

I realised i still wanted to be the guy tt Shirui admires, worships and shows off to all her friends.

I realised i still wanted to be amazing.

Watch out.

Workout Log:
Ball Work
3km slow run.

Guitar Log: (Harmonic Minor)
Warm Up: Spider, Vai's Spider, Petrucci Stretch, Beez Stretch
Scaling in 100, 108, 120
PG pattern in 80, 92, 108
YWBAS lick in 120

It's a sucky feeling to not be able to live up to your name.

Seems like my recordings are the only way to show that i was once a decent rock guitarist.

I need to have abit more time... so that i can work on guitar as well. As well as ball. As well as fyp. As well as studies. As well as Shirui. As well as friends.

Hmm friends. I really dun see them much nowadays. Maybe just Chao. Just saw Johnson. And YW, Andy. And JQ, ZY. Nothing much leh.

What is sleep? Something that deprives me of more waking time.

To be frank, today's jam has totally made me rethink about what i want to do. What do i really want? To live up to other people's expectations of me? To live up to my own expectations?

It's not easy to be me.

Workout Log:
2 sets of Ball work
Rest.

Met LJL today. Not bad, he's really really very nice and patient. Research topic is quite new, but yet somewhat simple to understand. Guess i'll just confirm him once i get hold of the text and read thru it.

Legs were kinda tired today, due to the gym session yday. I realise that the only reason to go gym for me is to work on the legs and core machines. Everything else can be done at home. And it seems like everyone thinks im trying to bulk up. Which is like totally contrary to my objectives. Bulking up is for slow immobile dipshits. I'm trying to be ripped and fast! Rajon Rondo style.

Everything is geared towards a better range of motion, a better speed of motion, and a better control of motion.

Workout:
Ball Slaps, Wraps around trunk and knees, wrap crossovers.
10 shots each at A,B,C (warmup)
100 mid range shots
10 consecutive free throws
50 three pointers
10 consecutive free throws (made till 15 today ^^)

3km Fast Run
10 sets of 5 pull ups + 10 pushups.
Lotsa stretching.

Dead tired. Lack of sleep too.

Stochastic Assignment settled. Hope it's not too bad.

Got my new ball from YW. Not too bad. At least it's heavier.

My three's suddenly improved quite a bit. Hard to describe, but it's a good shooting feeling.

When i shoot mid-range, i think of Paul Pierce.

When i shoot threes, i think of Ray Allen.

When i dribble the ball, i think of Ganon Baker.

Dun really know what i'm saying already.

Workout Log:
(Gym)
8 min bike (warmup)
10 sets of 10 single leg press L/R (70kg) + 10 single hamstring curl L/R (~12kg)
10 sets of 10 back extensions + 10 leg lifts + 10 trunk twist thingy machine (~25kg)
(Ball)
10 shots each at A,B,C (warmup)
100 mid range shots
10 consecutive free throws
50 three pointers
10 consecutive free throws (made till 14 ^^V)

Gd night. Work hard pple.

Celtics won! Woo!

I'm right. Ray Allen showed up today. 7 threes? Ties the all-time 3 pter made in play-off game. Madness. When Ray Allen attacks, Celtics are up. His threes really stretch the defense.

Things to take away from this game:

When the opponent starts to give you good open looks, try to make them. If not, drive hard and draw them to close up the distance and go for a lay up. If they think you can't score, prove it to them. Rajon Rondo did it and changed the face of the game. There's no point being a pussy. Attack attack attack!

Face up the guy and close out his driving lane on 1 v 1 defense. Posey totally killed off KB's game today with his hard nosed defense.

Make your shots when you are wide open. We can all learn from Ray ray.

Hustle to find back your man after being screened. Sasha totally screwed it bad for LA, and left Ray wide open. How can you leave Ray Allen wide open 4 consecutive times?!

Boards are key. Celtics outrebounded LA by 15+ boards. Madness. Tt's equivalent to -30 for LA.

It's really a great win. A masterclass of how a complete and unselfish basketball team should play.

GG!

Workout Log:
10 sets of 5 chin-ups
10 sets of 10 lateral lifts + 10 frontal lifts L/R + 20 forearm squeeze L/R
10 sets of 10 shoulder press + 10 wide-arm pushups + 20 forearm squeeze L/R

It's late so i'll keep this short.

Hot Yoga = Yoga in a sauna. Almost fainted but managed to stay thru till the end. Relaxing.but draining. Like after doing laps in a pool. Felt super sleepy.

Shirui's Boss's Stochastic Processes assignments = FUBAH (fucked up before anything happens). Try to solve them as best as i can. Kinda forgot most of the stuff. Not to mention the notation feels alittle bit different, as well as the terms used.

Sakae Sushi = Salmon sushi just got a major upgrade it seems. Soft, fatty, sinful. Shirui and I ate a total of 23 normal plates for the buffet. Got our money's worth. Glad to have a found a girlfriend who can really eat like a machine.

501's chee cheong fun = not bad. It's getting to me. I love the hongkong style chee cheong fun with filling inside. Soft and salty. Shouldn't eat too much tho.

Mousing with my left hand = Challenging but do-able. Kicks my senses into overdrive. Probably can't make it thru Normal Diablo with my left, but i wun bother to try. Fortunate that i have a wireless mouse to make this challenge less of a wire-disaster.

Celtics vs Lakers in 4 hours = Hope i can wake up/Jiqing wakes me up. Hope the Celtics can win it for good so that i can concentrate on other stuff. Key is always in Ray Allen. He still feels like he's sleeping on the offensive end. 19 pts? Cmon, you are more than that. If Ray Allen wakes up, Celtics will win easy.

Superband = might have a realistic chance. Chao says given all that crap, i'm really not too bad after all.

Sports statistician = might not have a realistic chance in Singapore. It does seem like a dream job so far. Data analysis on Ray Allen's stats? Woo.

FYP = Hmm not so good. Someone took the lobang away. Might have to approach LJL and join YM. Not a bad choice, cos YM is cute and fun to work with. Or else i'll have to do it the Eliz way. Still a first class what. Clearly shows how much quality she has and how booking a prof doesnt really matter at all.

Rest of the holidays = Probably just workout everyday. I'm not lazy u know, i'm working my ass off everyday! Just not raking the money, but muscle.

Workout log:
Hot Yoga
3Km fast run
5 sets of 20 sit ups/15 box jumps/100 calf raises/5 chin ups
Lotsa stretching

Watched Superband just now. Just can't imagine how bad the competition were. It's like choosing edible food out of a trash can.

I mean, when you can cringe at your own bandmate's vocals, tt's not gonna get you thru to the 2nd round.

So please wake up people, find a decent looking vocalist who can SING IN TUNE (for christ's sake) before you hit the stage. It's a pity when the band is so talented but the singer just fucks it up bad for everyone when he goes off key.

2nd tip: Choose a song that you can actually sing without going off-key. No point doing the latest hottest in-est songs when you can't sing it. If you die die want to sing it, ask the band to fucking CHANGE THE KEY. Omg la. Drop to Eb or D wun die right. Dun have to play the song exactly as it is, cos if that's the case, I'd rather listen to the mp3 la doofus.

3rd tip: Practise hard. Be it the dance routine, or your lyrics, or the notes to play. Usually the instrumentalists wun screw up much and remember their parts. It's always the vocalist who thinks the song is easy to sing and when it comes to the crunch time he forgets the bloody lyrics. That being said, dun forget your dance routine, cos it sucks when you're so pretty but you fuck up your dance. Makes you look like an idiot on stage. Oh ya, and dun improvise any shit, cos your nerves will freeze up your tiny brain and suddenly you are not Allan Holdsworth anymore. Stick to a plan! And practise it! Really hard!

4th tip: Be different. Every band looks like some goth band, or Visual Kei or Emo punk. Lotsa make up and eye-linear. It's getting boring. Try something new. Weirder costumes maybe? Instruments should match the style. It's a complete package. It's funny when u are all black and heavy and goth and then u play a pink strat. (No offence Daniel i know you like pink)

And every band plays the same shit. Mayday, FIR, Jay Chou, Beyond. Try remixing songs, medleys. Like a SHE rock medley or smthing. Show off your creativity and not your puny shredding skills.

5th tip: Engage the crowd. This is usually easier said than done. Cos when your music sucks, and you still insist on getting the crowd to groove, it's just totally wrong. So get your music right, then get the crowd grooving. More grooving = more phonecalls = more points for you = higher chance the media will wanna exploit you = higher chance of making it.

But bottomline: Please be able to sing lar. When you can't sing, everything is shit.

There's one surprising duo, who wanted to use loop pedals to loop their voices and thereby creating 5 part harmonies or 5 men acappella or what have you. But the judge is right this time: The idea is fresh, but looping means there's no climax. Once your voice/timing veers off a little, everything will veer off a little. When you layer this little imperfection a few times, it becomes messy and off pitch somewhat. So it's risky. So you're out sorry.

Bottomline: I never liked looping. Just fucking get more bandmates and do it lar.

There's another 3 man rock band that had no drummer. Just singer guitarist and bassist i think. I say: get a fucking drummer lar. You're not gonna make it big by playing to a backing drum track. People will start to question and doubt, which unless you're a big time music producer, you just wun have the ability to block all these nonsense. Get a drummer, problem solved.

This year superband, seems quite jialat. Last year definitely had more quality. Even their trailer din impress me.

Workout Log (Been forgetting to update here):
10 supersets of 10 bicep curls + 10 close arm pushups
5 sets of 1 min plank
3km fast run
10 supersets of 20 alternating situps + 50 count plank

Slowly but surely, i'm getting mesmerized by the classical guitar. D'Easton Ritmo's performance at my brother's wedding was a masterclass of showmanship, technique and musicality. Handoyomia's videos on youtube also gave me some inspiration to do my own solo renditions of popular songs.

I feel like buying a..........spanish flamenco guitar. I musn't succumb to GAS.

Hmm. My MSN pic has garnered some unwanted attention. My brother is married. Not me. I'm one of the groomsmen and Shirui is one of the bridesmaid. Tt's all. We'll get married another day. So keep ur angpows for tt day. (Actually wanna give now i also dun mind. I'm kinda broke.)

Just finished off Hell Baal with my spanking Auradin. Yea Holy Fire + Shock + Freeze + Conviction = quick death for anything in my path. Baal has tons of life doesnt he? Diablo died pretty quickly for me tho (like less than 20 seconds). Hmm, maybe the build isnt strong after all.

Tt's it, im done with D2 for now.

Workout Log today:

In a very particular order:
10 supersets of 10 lateral lifts + 10 frontal lifts L/R
10 supersets of 10 shoulder press + 10 wide pushups
3km fast run
8 supersets of 50 counts for plank + 20 alternating situps + 100 calf raises L/R + 10 box jumps

I grew bored and lazy by the 8th set. Shld have persevered till the 10th set. Din do my triceps and biceps superset cos of time constraints too.

Gah. There shldn't be excuses!

Din realise Bruce Lee was such a big deal until i read his wiki. He's really the shit. Respect.

Yea it's over. Can finally take a chill pill.

So tired tt i slept through the entire day today. Until Yiwei woke me up at evening. Eh where's my ball btw?

The wedding should be relative smooth and enjoyable, i hope. No major hiccups as far as i know.

Guess tt's the best wedding present i can give to my brother.

Next focus: IPPT!

Gah.

Find of the day. This guy is money when it comes to the cheat girls songs. Too bad he doesnt look v handsome, or else we are all outta business.

Darn the msians. Y are they just so good?

Gives me a reason to start working hard on transcribing some songs too. I have 5, this dude has 100+.

Gah.

It's been a blur these few days. Every day i wake up feeling dazed and confused till 11pm, when i begin my daily run. Then i sleep again.

It's one thing to be meticulous, and another to be meticulous about pointless things.

Really should get my ass working. 4 days to doomsday?