Gigs

I'm happy now, because I've got lots of gigs.

And I love it when i get to perform. Ok, given... the wedding today was a bit of a screwup. But nobody noticed! (Or at least, it being a wedding, they were obliged to be nice.) I guess you can count on Nobody At All to understand what a jazz band is doing. In fact, we survived a dangerously teetering rendition of that most hated song, Fly me to the Moon, and made a sort of careening way through My Funny Valentine, and came out the other end looking slightly bruised, but not really worse for the wear. It has been worse before.

For example, taking a gig with mark who shows up 15 minutes before and asks what songs we're doing. The thing is, he can do it. I can't - therefore, echoing Descartes, I suffer.

To anyone who reads this blog, if such a hypothetical person does in fact exist, COME DOWN TO WOODLANDS CC TOMORROW (Sunday). There's an open jam session at 1.30 .

Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Well, I stand up next to a mountain
And I chop it down with the edge of my hand
Well, I stand up next to a mountain
And I chop it down with the edge of my hand
Well, I pick up all the pieces and make an island
Might even raise a little sand

'cause I'm a voodoo child
Lord knows I'm a voodoo child baby

I want to say one more last thing
I didnt mean to take up all your sweet time
I'll give it right back to ya one of these days
I said I didnt mean to take up all your sweet time
I'll give it right back one of these days

If I dont meet you no more in this world then
I'll meet ya on the next one
And don't be late
Don't be late

'cause I'm a voodoo child voodoo child
Lord knows I'm a voodoo child

Jimi Hendrix

MEEEEEEME.

I guess this is revenge for the 'hanxin smashes head, then smashes Ryan' comment.


Once tagged by this entry, the assignment is to write a blog entry of some kind with six random facts about yourself. Then, pick six of your friends and tag them; no tag backs. This explanation should be included.

1. First thing that came to mind - i love it when it rains. Especially when it rains outside and i'm indoors... somehow i find that very comforting. Must be linked to some childhood thing i can't remember. I have a big transparent door that leads from my room to outside so i can see the rain and the plants and the garden slowly flooding up. I find it fascinating. Although, now there are plants and the garden doesn't really flood up anymore. It's still good.

2. I have incontrollable bouts of nervousness before public performances. Despite all my experience with that sort of thing it never goes away.

Notably, the worst was before my first debate in the Julia Gabriels national debating competition. I remember sitting in the canteen outside the debate room and being paralysed. As in, I actually felt breathing difficulties and dizziness. I went on to win best speaker, but that was the last and only time and eventually my team dropped out at the quarter finals.

The other time was before band concert this year in which hyqel and I were guest performing. We were both novice jazz guitarists at the time, barely able to decipher a 'D7+5' chord (doesn't that make it a D12?), let alone navigate the intricacies of fingerboard harmony. Worse still, we were accompaniment. Hyqel told me he got it too. Strangely that somewhat alleviated my panic... and I realised that the best antidote to nervousness is empathy. And winning.

3. Perhaps my favourite musician of all time is the electric bassist Jaco Pastorius, even though I don't really play bass much. I wouldn't say that his music is terribly profound compared to the likes of john coltrane, but it just radiates an energy that is incomparable. I don't think I will wax lyrical about his music right now. Rather I think i'll note that up to the 70s and 80s electric bassists were progressing hugely by co-opting electric guitar technique. So much so that I think (at least as far as jazz is concerned) they overtook us. Now I think it really is time for guitarists to start learning back from the bassists.

4. I used to be a swimmer. As in, I used to swim competitively. This is in spite of the fact that i'm horribly unfit and I have never taken my gold survival certificate. It also was around 8 years ago, so whatever swimmer is left in me has probably drowned. I still regularly owned my non-swimmer classmates in secondary school though.

5. I always use (almost) full english when I SMS or email or use msn. I don't shorten things which don't need to be shortened like 'You' or 'like'. I can understand using shorthand for long words or phrases like brb for be right back, but I can't stand people hu tok lyk dis. Seriously. You've saved, like 4 letters at the expense of looking completely retarded.
I also don't use a qwerty keyboard. I've switched to Dvorak which is faster and easier on the hands.

6. I really only speak one language : english. My chinese is good enough to express myself in a very limited fashion. I usually just resort to english and gestures. I also know a little French, but not enough to speak fluently. I can understand rudiments of Bahasa Indonesia, but not enough to speak as well.

I am tagging RYAN, ABBY, ELI, NATALIE, GERARD and SHARON.

Sorry Ryan, if this takes too much time away from nanowrimo then please tell me.

adam

EDIT: sorry, had to post this. This is brilliant.
I think it's important that churches are up to this right now. I think it's a step in the right direction.

Have been feeling very insecure lately, about everything. I put it down to hormones, but that doesn't make it any less shitty.

In fact, I've been pretty emo this whole year. Whoever it was on that documentary about teenagers got it right. It's a terrible time and a wonderful time.