Easter..? Whats so important about it.

Seriously,

I'm getting quite irritated.

What point in there in featuring Easter Weekend, putting it on large and big pedestals, when you can't even get your week right.

Why the strong emphasis?

Tis true, my lord Jesus died and rose again on this weekend. We remember, we understand and we try as much to reconcile ourselves to the fact that if we were there 2000 years ago, we wouldnt have known how to react. But, he died for us all the same.

I think we have to understand that Jesus is already ALIVE! I don't blame people for looking forward to easter, but for what reason? Are you looking forward to the actual event or are you just basking the good feelings that come with it.

I quote the famous comedian Adam Ferrara of comedy central fame, 'Since when did Jesus come to earth in a form of an easter bunny who hides coloured eggs for children to find?'

Shakes head.

Hur?

It just occured to me that i've never had the urge to 'change' any part of body/image (i.e. put on ear rings, have naval rings, tattoos or even nose rings) I don't have anything against these things, in fact I think they're really fashionable if done/used properly.

People tell me that tattoos are physical statements of an inward conviction, a graphical depiction of a desire inside, a public announcement of 'love' and i'm totally cool with that. If it feels rightto you, just go ahead and do it! Of course, there is a certain amount of rebelliousness tied in with a tattoo, but only because tattoos aren't the normal thing to have in society. Or is that the case?

What would happen, if everyone had tattoos and not having a tattoo meant you being outlawed. Now that would be quite scary.

Imagine if cigarette advertisements shouted

'Smoking is easy...'
'Not not smoking is even easier..'

That was quite random but its quite late at night, so humour me....

300...and other things....

I was watching 300 again and have a few things to comment about the film.

Apart from it being a 'gore'/'flesh' fest, i think that the film actually accomplished what it set out to prove.

1. The cinematography was awesome.
2. Yes, women maybe equivalent to men in many arenas; emotional, physical, political etc....Once in awhile, they take swords and kill people.
3. Battle scenes are always accompanied by cheesy heavy metal music.
4. If you take away the battle instrumental accompliment, and play techno instead, you'd have a fashion show.
5. Yes, all the Spartans look like a group of models taken out of male 'vogue' /GQ. All of them have six packs like they could be bought off the shelf
6. If you have nothing else to use in an army, use elephants, LOTR is a perfect example.
7. Spartan women know the best way to use the least cloth as clothes. I think it was the 'in' thing during that time.
8. I like the actual battle scenes. Imagine if the soldiers actually had time to think about their killings in slow motion...'stab, stab....slow motion '..hmm wat shall i have for lunch...stab, skewer...stab...maybe mutton steak...stab, stab...kill kill...
9. I could have sworn that the hunchback guy was in the wrong film. He should have auditioned for the 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'.
...

Well thats it for today...

ill be back with more soon enough.

cheerios.

dex

Pensionstate....RIP (1997 - 2007)

I just heard from ah tan at the album leaf show that Pensionstate has finally been laid to rest.

I left the band a year ago..but it's still a part of my being..much as it is for the other ex + members....

Gosh, has it been that long?

I still vividly remember how we all first met.

It was a wednesday at the old 1-vox at the adelphi building. Gordon was listening to mxpx cds on daryl wong's cd player at the back of the shop and i walked in. Apparently his band 'Contraband' was having a band meeting to decide on a new drummer. In walked Ahtan in his Jurong JC slacks and tshirt. bespectacled and a little nerdy..I didn't know he'd be the vocalist.

I was 17 then.

I joined and we all decided on 'pensionstate' as the name henceforth.

I remember the first gig we played. It was at the Youth Park together with The moderates and SG murphy's donuts. It was fun! There were many gigs after that...Including the one at Ymca with the famous 'leg cramps'...many will remember that...

marcus and daniel joined respectively at different times and then ted...but it was a whopping lineup....

We toured KL...played a few local fests and well...stirred up something. We had fans chanting our names....Ah..the thrill of being on stage.

The band made many friends and enemies along the way..but it was a good ride..Played the first baybeats festival and the Sonic Festival at St Andrews Cathedral.

10 years later..I still marvel at the fact that we were able to play punk rock....and play it real fast. call it what you will..emo...indie punk..whatever....We started out during the times of Plain Sunset...Smd...Suburban Dammit...Psychosonique...it was a special era....core gigs at bugis...and WTC...it was epic.

Inadvertently...as marcus so aptly put it...the band became an institution....and I guess...the rest is history.

Back in the day..there wasn't myspace...or purevolume...heck...downloadble mp3's were a new concept. Tapes and vinyls were sold at concerts/gigs..zines were in paper form....cd jewel cases were cracked....people wore bigger sized shirts and torn jeans....

I thank the band for shaping some of what my identity was during the teenage to young adult years...it was a fun journey...

and ted, gordon, marcus, daniel, shain, ray, ahtan...it was great sharing it with you!

To the blyss brothers..sy, ti/\/\,/\/\il....you guys were the brother band..and wiill always be...

Thanks

Dex

Moving On...

I was just dealt a heavy blow yesterday.

I cant explain it online but all I know is that it was fast swift and in some sense, cruel.

Maybe, its not the right cut for me.

Maybe, this is a wakeup call.

Its times like these when you wonder whether things are what they seem.

I'll move on...eventually.

Do I really need some time off?

It's not really a healthy thought being 28 and still thinking about having breaks.

Shocking would be too easy a term to use.