Guitar lessons

I've finally gotten down to starting guitar lessons. For over 15 years of my life, I never had the patience to sit my ass down long enough to actually learn how to play the guitar. Always had the desire to learn though, as all the guitarists in the band always seem to get the chicks (see Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi, Dave Navarro from Red Hot Chili Peppers, among the many). Guess it was a case of 'mind is willing but the body is weak'.

I used to play a bit of bass, which was much easier. It was just press with one finger on the left hand and pluck with one on the right. Bed of roses considering the fact that the songs (mainly punk ditties from the Ramones) I played back in those days consisted only of three or four chords at most. Which also explains why I picked up the drums then cos I'm impatient that way. Just sit and whack and you get results!

With the guitar, it's a little different. You have to contort the fingers on your left hand to unimaginable positions and strum with the right hand. And you have to get the strumming right as the upwards and downwards strumming movements will give you different sounds, blah, blah.

Today, my motivations to pursue the guitar has drifted from impressing bevies of young chicks to a desire to praise and worship an awesome God. I found this young chap over the internet who teaches both the acoustic and electric guitar. Great for me since I don't reckon I would want to torture myself by learning the acoustic, then the electric. So far I've only learned four chords and played one song (Brian McKnight's One).

Not too bad for an hour. Now, I just need another gazillion hours of practise and more chords to start rocking the house.

Hail, hail rock n roll!

Removing clutter

We've had it with our wardrobe. After being so badly warped and as a result wreaking havoc on the rollers (this one came with sliding doors), we finally decided to replace it before the doors fell off and hit one of us while we were asleep (some of the brackets holding the shelves had already given way due to the intense warping of the sides).

So Penny and I removed all the stuff from the old wardrobe and, boy, was it a tiring job! I never knew I had so much junk accumulated over the years - old notes and newspaper articles from my Adv Dip days, comics, prayer beads (used to be a Soka member), old DVDs and games, G.I. Joes in little Ziploc bags and more toys that were long forgotten (a Star Wars Snowspeeder complete with two Rebel Alliance pilots!).

We ended up with 4 large garbage bags of trash (our wardrobe could really gooble a lot of junk!) and we still had things that we wanted enough to clog up our room, the living room and parts of the kitchen! What can I say, we're sentimental people.

After that, we had to take the old monster apart, which was the fun part. How often do you get to rip something apart with your bare hands? We had to remove the old wardrobe and clean up the whole area before the new wardrobe arrived. You can never imagine the amount of dust that can accumulate in 10 years.

Obviously, we were both dead tired after that. But that was not the end. We had to wait for the new wardrobe to arrive and move back all the stuff that we wanted!

Becoming an ah chek part 3

As if the Goldlion shirt and white hair weren't enough, my knees have started to hurt of late. Penny keeps nagging at me to stop jogging but I still maintain the stance that I need to train for my yearly IPPT and starting to run a month before is just a big no-no. Even more so now with all the sudden deaths during 2.4km runs.

Anyway, so I couldn't take it anymore and bought myself a knee brace. It got so bad one day that I had so much problem stepping on my clutch while driving. And to top it all off, I had to kay kiang and join the youths for an afternoon of basketball. Needless to say, my knees were screaming in pain along with other unimaginable parts of my lower body for about a week following that.

It sucks getting old.

Becoming an ah chek - part 2

First it was the Goldlion shirt, now I discovered another sign that is signalling my journey into 'ah chek'-hood (for lack of a better word).

White hair.

Penny had quite a ball plucking them out for me. Now when I look at myself in the mirror, I no longer look out for pimples. Maybe it's the stress getting to me, or perhaps really it's age catching up. Regardless, I can't deny the fact that they'll continue to populate my once wonderful crown of nice, black (albeit a little dry) hair. Hopefully I'll end up with a cool pepperish shade like George Clooney.

Now all I have to do is try my best to imitate that irritating smirk.

Becoming an ah chek

It's official. I'm leaving my youth behind and entering the ah chek chapter of my life. I've always been under the (false) impression that I'll be 21 for the rest my life, staying cool and funky and in touch with the youth of today, hanging out at Heeren, reading comics, blah, blah. But, shocker of shockers, I recently acquired a piece of something that many middle aged men would wear with pride but cool and funky youngsters would avoid like a HFMD infected school.

A freaking Goldlion shirt.

I once told Penny I'd never be caught dead in any Goldlion apparel. So I have to eat my own words now. Truth be told, the design (which was what caught my eye in the first place, not the brand) is quite cool. And, damn, the shirt is comfortable. Unlike new shirts that give you that itchy-scratchy feeling on your skin, this shirt was smoooooth.

Will this be my first Goldlion shirt of many others to follow? I can't say for sure. Maybe I'll drop by a Lacoste boutique next...

Of goats and vegetables

It's been a while since we last visited Hay Dairies. Since Velouria has been on powdered goat milk for quite some time now, we thought it'd be good for her to have some freshly squeezed goat milk.

We made plans to meet Nick and Pat there too (along with Gracie of course). After some breakfast, we made our way there just in time to see the milking process. This was followed of course by the feeding of the goats with the $2 a packet dried grass (or hay or whatever they feed the goats). Nick and I were joking that this was a very smart marketing ploy; getting visitors to pay to do their work. Who knows, maybe they'll come up with a farm stay package soon that allows you the total goat farm experience, i.e. milking the goats, cleaning the pens, etc.

After downing a couple of bottles, we decided to make our way (with vague directions from Pat's father) to a vegetable market that was allegedly on the other side of Lim Chu Kang. Apparently, my mum-in-law had been there before too, but she's directionally impaired so her instructions were as good as naught.

We found ourselves at Kok Fah after a 10 min drive. I was dumbfounded, I never knew that a market actually existed here, right smack in the middle of nowhere! All freshly grown, no less! After a few minutes of walking around, looking at gigantic fish and what nots, I got bored. So Nick and I bought some drinks (honey with fresh aloe vera bits, yum!) and sat down with the kids while the aunties went havoc buying up all assortments of fresh produce.

Finally, about half an hour later, the aunties decided that they too were parched and decided to get themselves a drink. That was our signal that the shopping was over and it was time for us to head home.

Farny Engrish

Saw this box of Wang Wang biscuits while browsing around at CK Department store. Typical Taiwanese English (or Taiwanglish?). Of course 'don't crash', the poor dude is dressed only in a singlet and what appears to be a pair of briefs. And with such a huge head, I'm sure that's a magnet for disaster!

I think they meant to say DON'T CRUSH.

Chewren, do not be copy, okay. Or you teacher will kok you head.