Guitar Freak, I am!!! Blinddates, I will not!!! -Maeda

Had a great weekend of resting and slacking. It was those rare weekends that i can have it for myself. So i spent it all doing the things that i have longed wanted to do. I reaaranged my room abit by moving my bed sideway against the wall and my created my little workstation area with my com table and study table joined together. Of course, my jamming area where my amp, POD and my wife laid. The miraculous part is that, it still looks very spacious. Enjoying every corner of my room now (especially my bed).

Practise Items
Basically spent my whole saturday sleeping. I woke up around noon time. Slacked abit before engaging in my practise regime for the day. Before i started, i listed out what are the items to practise on, and i actually came out with an interesting item. I called it the handicap drill when jamming with a song. I classed it into several categories:

1) Stings handicap - meaning that i can only play certain strings or dun play certain strings, so it will build my overall usage of the scale in horizontal aspect. Also technically, i have to develop my skip string technique which i will like in to develop into skip string shredding and appegiating.

2) Position handicap - meaning that i can only play certain position or dun play certain position of the fretboard with respect to the caged system. While improvising, there is always a position or two that i called it the safe zones whereby i will hit them when i am not "venturing". This drill will help me expand my scope and hoping to make the entire fretboard my safezone.

3) Notes handicap - Gosh!! This is the meanest and toughest aspect of the drill. Notes handicap meaning that i can onli play certain notes or not play certain notes at all. This requires quite understanding of where the notes are at once, without relative references. I must know what notes i'll be hitting next. Actually, this drill was intro-ed to me by Steve Vai in GT megazine where he wrote that having this handicap, will help me develop more ways in attacking the same 3 notes that i am playing. Exciting. I tried it a few times, and i sort of
realised that I have to pour in every single technique that i know already!!!

4) Technique handicap - As u may all noe already that technique handicap meaning that i am not allow to use certain techniques in my soloing. I realised that i used alot of bending and alternate picking for shredding. So if i applied handicap on this 2 techniques, i have to sub them with something else. Maybe i will use sliding instead of bending, legatos instead of alternate picking. This will help me to use the techniques that i seldom use.

Just to share with you all my fellow guitarists!!!

Blinddate???
Just as i was happily practising my guitar in my room, my dad invited his frends from the taxi fellowship over. Apparently, they will be having some sort of Xmas celebration programme where they have to present some songs bah. I stayed in my room while they were buzy practising until my dad came in and said that he wanted to introduce someone to me. I thot must be some uncles that want to see how i look like lah, so i went out to entertain him lor.

Then do my most "dunno wot adjectives to describe my feeling lah...." surprise, he intro-ed me to a girl!!! Arghhhh!!! Ganna con-ed.... Apparently, she is the daughter of one of the uncle from the fellowship and came over to my house to help the band. So awkwardly, we chatted lah. Interestingly, she's also from NUS, same year as me but she is doing psychology. She's attending a chinese anglican church and is serving in a para-church organisation VCF....Lotsa similarities har.... My dad told me that she played drum and keyboard in church...Well, good for her lor....Feeling abit overwhelmed by the amount of informations liao, so i sneak in an advertisement for TURT2006, and explained to her what was it about briefly and invite her to come for audition lor....Great!!! their next round of practise began and that's my opportunity to sneak back into my room again. Relieved!!!

In my room, i was thinking to myself, " Siala, wot's the old man trying to do...never warn me beforehand and put me in such situation." I know my dad is concern about me, becos all my cousins of the same age, is either attached or planning for marriage. 1 of them is getting married next month, and of cos, even my younger brother is attached. But dun have to be overly concerned lah. He tot that i haven't got over Elyn(my ex) yet, and i know he's worried. Ohh man, come on lah!!!

What do i think about the girl?
I think that she's really a nice girl. At least she's a good daughter that is willing to help her dad even in her exam period, while i dun even bother about asking wot my dad is doing...haha!!! I find her quite cute, slim and bear a very bright and nice smile.... "Hey hey, hold on a minute bangs, i noe my ah bangs are calling me slimy again rite!!! Minibang must be screaming for me to go whack lah, or else intro to him....haha...."...."No ...no, i cannot intro u, if i intro u, today u come 2ml i closed down!!!(haha, Russel peters) ha ha ha"..... But the sad truth is, i dunno her background...dunno what type of person she is, dunno what direction she is heading....blahblahblah....Sigh!!! Getting a partner in life is so so so troublesome. Unlike getting a guitar, u will noe u love her at the 1st strum....haha.

I think it all seems too troublesome for me liao. But regardless what, i dun really bother much lah. I think i am really satisfied with my life as being single now lah. Can get to do the things i like and has a burden for. Cant really fit in somebody in my life yet...But, i will still carry on to pray for the someone. Let not pressure from other pple to affect me lor.

Service in SAC
Went to SAC for service on sunday. Ohh man, i cant relate to the sermon at all again!!! At least 7/10 sermon in SAC were like that. The topics were either on Parenting, Grand-parenting, coping with aging and stuffs like that....Ohh man!!! I understand the fact that the church has a diverse age-groups of pple and we are from different walks and stages of lives. I tried my best to absorb as much as i could, but the sermon was very very very elderly-directed. Maybe i will find it useful 40years down the road, but i think i will likely to forget every single bit of it liao by then. I felt so unfed at times....Tat's y i often sneak to CEFC. Ok ok!!! I am not comparing churches, but i believe that CEFC also has very diverse age groups but yet the msg that Pastor edmund and team bring across every weeks were as good as always impactful and i could bring home and apply!!! Sad!!!

I cant wait till the new QPP service starts where Pastor Loo and Pastor Ling will be heading. I really enjoy learning from their sermon which i certainly find more able to relate to.

By the way, the new QPP extension is almost done. I sneaked to have a look liao, and the place is really really really cool!!!!Wow!!!Very very nice leh, building-wise!!! The new hall is also very big and spacious!!!So cool!!! Already dreaming that Ezra-room can do a gig or so there!!!Cool!!!


Watching David tao's concert
Ivan told me that he'll be watching David tao's live in Singapore concert on 26th november. On the same evening, a sister was asking me whether i will be interested to replace her to go for the concert as she dun really listen to him. Hmmmm...I dun dislike David tao, and i find him incredibly talented(come on, 7 days covered alot of his songs ok, dun play play)...Come to think of it, if i really want to listen to his songs, i might as well listen to 7 days....free some more!!!heehee...i very cheapo hor!!! Anyway, i will be saving money to watch my dream band performing in Singapore after the new year. Dream theatre is coming....John Petrucci is coming!!!My guitar hero leh...dun play play!!! That will be money well spent bah, i rather!!!

G3 live in Tokyo is out in Store now
Thanks to Lun, i remembered that G3 live in Tokyo DVD which featured John Petr, Steve Vai and Joe Satch is out in store already....Cant wait to get my hands on it!!!Exciting!!!

Also to Ah lun, sorry for not taking you seriously at times!!! Sorry pal, just my own defensive mechanism at work again!!! Once bitten twice shy!!!

That's all Folks!!! Loony tune!!!