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At the first cutting light of August, many years ago, the world got the first glimpse of the entity known henceforth as Leon Yip. It decided to douse the aforesaid with sunshine, sweets, and loads of love. Legend has it, so convicting were his words, that upon his request, the world agreed to revolve around him, forever, and ever, and ever.

Theres tons, gazillion of tons of things I absolutely have to do. I have no wish to leave an abyssmal trail of residual-homework sludge behind me, so the most pressing matter would of course be to complete all my furikin' homework. (Some of which have been due since April)

I also definitely have to start exercising again. Not only is my body losing its once still half-decent shape, my fitness level has also shown to be deproving exponentially as the days go by. Apparently, I have to start by eating healthily. Fat hope (get it? As in, I'm getting fat, so like, fat hope means, "I hope") that that would happen. In the past week, or rather, in the past 5 days, all of my meals, or at least 7/10 of my lunch and dinners have been fast food. Not only is that dastard statistic burning a hole in my pocket, I suspect that it has also been drilling a gouge in my oesophagus, as my cough from 3 weeks ago shows no signs of leaving me. Ack.

As for National Day, I'm actually making some headway in this, and this progress, or at least what I like to think as progress is making me feel very proud of myself for accepting this challenge. I'm not the most patriotic sort, but then again, without Singapore's existence, I guess I wouldn't be rooted in comfort, harmony and relative happiness.

One other pressing issue is money. I need money. I need money by the pounds. I lack the cash I require to purchase the synthesiser I desire. (If you paid enough attention to the previous line, you'd realise there'd been a rhyme)$580. In my wallet, there is $5.95, barely enough to purchase a MacDonald's extra value meal. In my bank account, there's not much more. HOWEVER, I take comfort in the knowledge that I have my reserves, though they seem highly unlikely to pay me my due dividends. If I'm lucky though, I'd be able to raise half that amount by the end of the holidays.

So much to worry about, so much to lose sleep, to pull out hair over.

and yet,

yet.

:)
Okay, my previous post was random, but in my own defense, I felt the pressing obligation to update my non-existent fans/friends on my life's progress since the previous real post. Problem was, I was rushing off for dinner. So yeah, I just dropped a "hello".

Now to the progress report proper.

I'm at a loss for words now. I guess that alot has happened, and I'm still stuck in a whirling vortex of mixed emotions.

At least I'm no longer in perpetual reverse gear. My hand is firmly on the clutch, foot on the pedal, windows rolled down, speed accelerating, thoughts exhiliarating, hair flowing, moving forward.

Theres stuff which I hate to do, but it must be done, people who I'm approaching negatively, but they must be approached. Life's like this I guess. Many things I want to say, many things I need to say, but its either that I don't dare say for fear of offending people, or I've just been plain lazy to address the pressing matters, or I've just lived with it for so long that I've developed an immunition of sorts towards the kinds of attitudes towards myself. Well, or it could be all of the above.

I absolutely have to catch up on my homework. Yes, its the holidays, and I have residual homework due from the school term. I am extremely "screwed".

Performances on the 3rd and the 15th. I'm excited, and yet, scared.

Amidst all these shit, I still find some reason to smile. Theres always something to look forward to.

Yay.
Haha.

Hello.
Its time to lay claim to the evidence.

Okay, so I guess it actually went quite well. Anyway, guysies, please please post more videos of us on youtube. Apparently, for "Only One", I was only loud enough near the end.

Pictures, videos, sound recordings, please post em' up / send em' over.

Also, watch out for REDEEMING THE RIOT on the 3rd of June, where we are playing before locally acclaimed bands like THE FIRE FIGHT (they are totally awesome) and CARACAL, and of course, ELECTRICO! Thats on the 3rd of June, at Fort Canning Green (the place which was bigger than Fort Gate). Its the big one.

Next after that, on the 15th of June, we are playing alongside our brother bands at Fort Gate.

Tickets are all on sale now.

All of these are for good causes. Please attend, and donate generously.



I'm pretty sure the little white shredder would love to turn you into paper marche (damn, is this how this is spelt?)
Okay, so yesterday's performance was decent I guess. Once again, we did way better for the soundcheck than the performance itself.

So, because I didn't have time to come up with suitable riffs for "We've Only Just Begun" and "Umbrella", so I turned myself way low, and tried to come up with small riffs without screwing it up. I guess it didn't destroy our set.

But I'm quite happy with "Only One" and "Six Feet Under the Stars". At least I didn't freeze up, and at least, I did a good roll down the keys this time. Yay.

But still, our performance wasn't as good as we thought it could have been.

Darn.

Anyway, a few things on the agenda now.

Some rather touchy stuff, but it must be touched on eventually.

First Up.
________ (Damn, I hate doing this)
Its hard. Its very hard, trust me, we all don't like doing this, but I don't really think we like you doing this either. Lets work a compromise.

Next.
_____ (So sorry)
Don't take everything so seriously please. We're all in this together, although separately. What we should do is to encourage each other, not to be sour and all competitive and shit.

Lastly.
To whoever may be involved. Whatever man!



Aight. Though I don't think I've helped much, I sincerely hope that all the difficulties and differences will be resolved really soon.


We've only just begun
I'm only but a mere man. I cannot be expected to be perfect. Sometimes, situations arise where I have to make decisions. Its hard to make the most suitable decision if there are such demeaning eyes to follow that situation. Sometimes, things must be sacrificed. But when the sacrifice is in a magnitude too big, its not worth the sacrifice, and alternatives must be looked at. I'm guilty of my crime, but I don't think its worth any punishment. Afterall, by sacrificing what I needed, I benefited those who thought they needed more.

I'm only but a mere man. I have my limits. Its cool and shit to be be a part of something, but when you're made to seem that you're pulling that something down, morale is pulled down. Whats worse, when I'm not the most heavy offender of the lot. Sure, I cannot pull off the perfect part, but surely it is noticeable that my part is made from scratch. While I am definitely dispensable, I don't think anybody is indispensable. Sometimes, there is just a lack of "magic".

I'm only but a mere man. I cannot give whatever is asked of me, but rest assured, I can give everything I have. And when it comes to such a beautiful scene, rest assured, I'd give my best and more.

Oh shit. I think I'm abit drunk.

shit shit shit shit shit.
Life is really getting to me now.

Getting news of somebody whom I don't know at all, but may have inevitably come into contact with before who is in critical condition, with her life hanging in the balance, her body and mind in the hands of God.

How fragile we all are. At any given time, at any given day, things could happen to change our fate. Would we cross the road and get to the other side alive, will we not stumble and impale ourselves when we are holding a scissors. Friends, I'm not trivalising the matter. What I'm saying is, anything could happen, anytime. Life is the most unpredictable thing which we have. It is, in essence, also the only thing that we have. Such fragileness. Such delicateness. Let us embrace whatever we hold dear, say goodbye like we really wouldn't ever see them again, because, the way life dishes out surprises, our next goodbye, could well be our last.

To things unresolved, live life without regrets. Don't leave anything in suspension. Those simple words, would make living worthwhile.
I'm quite sure I've put this song up many times before, but screw it. I'm gonna put it up again.

Cause your clothes never wear as well the next day, and your hair never seems to fall the same way, you never seem to run out of things to sayy.

This is, a story of a girl. Whose pretty face she hid from the world. While she looks so sad and lonely there, I absolutely love it, when she smiles.

This is, a story of a girl. Who cried a river and drowned the whole word. While she looks so sad in photographs, I absolutely love it, when she smiles.

So ray me so far(sharp) me ray tea, so ray me so lah so far(sharp) ray, so ray me so far(sharp) me ray tea. so ray me so lah so tea so.



put up with this shit day after day.
More like, Three Cheers for Five Days.

Anyhoos, theres been much going on during the past week, at least, for me. Going back for the ACS(I) investiture, TSD stuff, council stuff, blah blah blah.

Just yesterday, Glissando the ACJC guitar concert which I only caught the second bit of due to some technical problems not worth dwelling on.

Its really strange, how almost a year ago, oh shit. Leon Yip, your sense of timing is truly impeccable. Just that last year, I was clueless. Okay. I think I've lost all of my readers there. About three hundred and fifty or so days ago, I believe it was the happiest day of my life. The funny thing in saying that, is the truth that, one can never pick his/her "Best day of my life", until his/her life has ended, or at least, has totally lost meaning. If I said that yesterday was the best day of my life, and today turns out to be way wayy better than yesterday, I would just be deemed a liar then. Thats my theory. Which isn't very credible I guess, seeing how I stopped taking theory lessons at Grade 5. (Haha. Silence)

All in all, its been a pretty darn refreshing week for me, and I've never felt so bad for feeling so good before in my life. (So far)
I'll take this Cali sunrise with me, and wake up with the fondest memories.

Okayy. Jamming yesterday was terri-ble. At least for me. I never felt so lost before. Already coming in an hour and a half late for various reasons, I really felt I lost touch of the music. Darn.

Anyway, the past couple of days have been pretty darn relaxing. I've finally got time to think on certain stuff, though I've yet to draw any conclusions whatsoever. I love journeys. They allow me to ponder. When I insert the black ear-phones into my ear-holes, I feel lost in my own world, only my thoughts and I, drawing inspiration from lyrics and melodies which entwine with my soul as I close my eyes and fall into a musical-derived trance.

Really. I love my music. Don't know what I'd do without my MP3 player.

I've got 2 history essays due technically on friday, and one other literature essay due on the same date. C'mon Leon, step it up, meet the challenge, embrace it, overcome it.

To end off, here is a snippet of the lyrics of "Jaesey Rae" by All Time Low.

Don't make this easy,
I want you to mean it.
Jaesey,
Say you mean it.

You're dressed to kill,
I'm callin' you out,
don't waste your time on me.

Its the flashes or musical and poetic brilliance which makes everything all so beautiful even when everything is in actual fact, as steady as a flickering candle in a hailstorm.
Woah, so on the 17th of May, we're playing after Stellastory and Cardinal Avenue.

On the 3rd of June, we're going right before Caracal and Electrico. Shit. Anyone feels any bit of pressure here?

Anyway, on a screwed up note. Apparently, the piano repair centre fucked-up the piano delivery schedule and I'd only get my beloved piano back tomorrow. Shit. I built up this bubbling expectancy of being able to express myself as I like (no matter how horrendous it may sound) on the piano, and now, the faggots at the piano repair centre just delayed it till tomorrow, where I'd only be able to reach home at 11pm due to jamming for Rock Of Malaria. Shit. Which means I'd actually only get to touch the smooth ivory keys which unlocks my soul on wednesday.

Pardon my foul language. I'm just really really really really really pissed off at stuff now. I mean, the piano repair centre psycho-ed my parents to send the piano off for a whole effing month to get it done, and I think the least they could do was to send it back on time. So much for good service, Cristofori.

Oh well. Life sucks more and more as we grow older and un-wiser.

ACS(I)'s investiture. No comment on the ceremony. I guess it was exactly as I expected. The speech by the incoming president was really outstanding though. After the investiture, I lingered around abit, and met up with teachers, friends, and the principal who I missed so dearly. After exchanging formalities, things became slightly more casual, and gosh. I really respect the man for being so graceful and dignified. Its really hard to be in his position, and the way he carries himself is really remarkable. New found respect for the man. The principal of ACS(I) whose name I am not obliged to reveal on a public domain for fear of being persecuted with slander. However, I don't think this post would be reported, because if anything, it praises the man. Heh. Look at me rambling.

Anyhoos, the feeling of sitting down in the big hall, hearing the pastor speak, the droning voices of the guest of honour, the immature comments of the group of obnoxious secondary school kids seated behind me. All these, brings back the fleeting nostalagia which I thought had escaped my once blue veins. Now I learnt, that while my arteries flow a sea of crimson red, my veins remain as blue as the pants I wore for ten years before.

Truly, it was an emotional moment for me to sing the ACS anthem in the ACS campus itself, and it must have seemed extremely strange to the councilors of other Junior Colleges, seeing a person wearing a blazer emblazoned with the Victorian logo spout of the ACS anthem with such fervour. Lets me put this all in an analogy, which I have becomed increasingly used to incorporating into my essays. Now when I respire, I inhale the Victorian spirit. When I breathe out, the AC kid within me is set free, and does my talking. When you merge two things together, for example, when you merge two toes together, you get a megatoe. When you merge two types of school spirits together, you get, mega-school-spirit. Okay. That was a private joke, forgive me, its all in the mood.

It was really comforting, seeing the acknowledgement of familiar faces, acquaintances, all bombarding me questions about my choice of school. My answer, "it paid off, I've gone where few people like me chose to go, and learnt from it more than I could learn in a classroom."

The next time, on fridays when we sing the Victorian anthem with gusto, in my heart, will be this unsupressible voice, singing "ACS forever".
Okay, before I get on with my massive rant regarding the torrid 24 hours which made up my 3rd May, I need/want to get this off my chest.

Actually, I'm not sure if I'm thinking too much here, or I'm making something out of nothing. I think I am. But anyway..

You know what, I actually typed two whole paragraphs out, but decided to click "backspace". Its probably wiser for me not to mention some things. Bah. I'm not making sense am I?


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3rd May 2008, Saturday.

Lets read about my sad sad life now okay?

Alright.

My day begin disastrously even before it started. How is that possible you may ask. It is, when I set my phone alarm at 7.00 am, and through the course of the night, I rolled over and knocked it down. *Gasp*. As a result, the battery came out of its socket, and I ended up waking up 3 hours later than the time I set out to wake up at.

Okay. Thats fine. I wasn't late for my lunch meeting at Tampines.

Oh, but I was.

So the meeting time was 12.15 pm. I left my place at 11.15am, went to harbourfront as I planned to take a train to Outram and just zoom down to the east from there. What I did not plan for though, was to overshoot Outram Park station and end up at Chinatown. No biggie. Just take a train back down to Outram. Be about 15 minutes late. Thats not the biggest problem. It did become a big problem though, as while I was taking a train now from Chinatown to Outram, I missed the stop again, and ended up at Harbourfront, again. Ugh right? However is that possible. Its okay. Third time lucky. So I finally reached Outram Park.

Missed the first train there. Waited 7 minutes. Cool. Not so cool though, when I accidentally alighted at Simei instead of Tampines. At that point of time, I had -$0.24 in my EZ-link card, and thus had to find an ATM machine to withdraw money! Okay. I wanted to just top up $5, so that I would at least have $15 dollars for lunch and dinner and other miscellaneous. But, lo, and behold, the station worker cleverly topped up $10 dollars even as I was saying, "$5 dollars please". Great.

Made it to Tampines station in a fury, circled the extremely crowded Tampines Mall for 15 minutes before finding Cafe Cartel.

Went to TPJC to watch the Debate Finals. Left halfway to go to school and help with Dance Night Ushering. Was extremely unfamiliar with the area, so I took the bus which went to Tampines. Supposedly. Fell asleep in the bus, and when I awoke, I was at... CHANGI VILLAGE! Changi furikin' Village. Imagine that. Still drowsy, I took a bus back to TPJC. When I alighted the stop after TPJC, I wanted to call the I/C for the day to report of my imminent lateness. Alas, I realised that I actually dropped my phone in the bus. Yay right?

Was thus forced to take a taxi, where I was in fact, lucky enough to borrow the driver's phone to locate my own. Later on, I was instructed to go to BISHAN to claim my phone.

After the Dance Concert, I tripped down all the furikin' way to BISHAN to claim my phone, but before that, this SBS station worker forced me to write him a commendation. -.-

Anyway, that was my eventful/uneventful saturday.

How was yours?
This is the story of a girl,
who cried a river
and drowned the whole world.


Yay. I'm in the ad hoc which I wanted to be in. Congratulations, LeoNip. My gosh. "LeoNip". That reminded you guys of Jeremy Goh didn't it? Gosh I miss you guys more than ever.

Anyhoos, on May the 17th, Redeeming the Riot will be playing at Fort Gate in the evening. Tickets are on sale soon. Contact me! Haha. I'm so excited. I'm gonna have my first real solo in one of the songs.

Okay, I'm guilty of being utterly addicted to "Three Cheers for Five Years". Sorry if I only just realised how powerful the song (especially in acoustic version) is. The lyrics really can just bring a gush of past and present sentiments gushing out.

Ack. I sound like a girlie. Well, I'm not. I'm a boy, and I have proof to back up that claim.


Cause you clothes never wear as well the next day,
and your hair never falls in quite the same way.
You never seem to run out of things to say.
Whew. Investiture is over. The dust settles. Now that everything is set, I'm totally motivated to immerse myself in what will be the most rewarding time of my life.

This post, will be mainly consisting of pictures.

First up, RICHIE!

This 'lil guy is like a brother to me. I actually talk to him, and when I'm feeling down and pouring my soul into his fragile ears, he actually peers at me lovingly and punctuates my thoughts with blinks of his cherubic eyes, as though he really understands my thoughts. I guess the universility of trappedness even transcends the difference in species.

Enjoy looking at this white bugger's pictures. I know i do.


(He was scratching his ear. Something which we have, countless times before, warned him against doing. Thus explains his guilty expression)


(All is forgiven as he prepares to jump down from the couch. Aww.)


(I planted him on the stool in my room, just look at how helpless the poor thing is. He is absolutely scared of stools like such because of its instability. Heh.)


(Okay, just look at him peeking out of the cupboard after I put him in it. Haha. Ultimate.)


(He got his revenge by jumping on my bed, and refusing to get down. Look at that spiteful and disgruntled face of his.)


Right. Now, why not have pictures of real humans!
Heh.

I lovee this picture. Or rather, I love the shape of my hair portrayed in this picture. Of course, its hard to emulate the same hairstyle in school for obvious reasons.


With Mom and Dad right after the Investiture Ceremony. Thanks for coming guys! <3


And the following few pictures are results of Camera-whoring, a colloquial term describing the love one has to take pictures of oneself.






All these reminds me of how utterly un-photogenic I am. Gah.

Okay, time to slowly repay the debts which I owe to my homework pile.

Chill out.
Peace.
25ths.

I've never made a bet
but we gamble with desire

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