STOMPed

The team went out to see the production of STOMP yesterday. It was great! I loved it! Out of the 8 people in the team, 3 of us where late so we kind of missed the first performance (we were able to watch it on the TV outside the theatre though). I also felt sorry for all the people we had to disturb to get to our seats as the show didn’t really have a bonafide intermission.

In any case, we got to our seats and began to enjoy the show. But the guy in front of me was pissing me off a bit. He would always lean forward in the most inappropriate time blocking my view of the show! I mean what difference does a couple of feet make when you are still a couple of hundred feet away from the stage?! At first I would just lean forward too or look at the side, but then it was really bothering me after a time. So I told him off to sit tight and enjoy the freaking show! (Just kidding, I was diplomatic on how I said it). All throughout the show, he would lean forward a bit then settle back to his chair. What was wrong with this guy? Does he have a finger up his ass? It was really annoying, but at least he was mindful of me and I got to see the show better.

Now on with the show! Well, it is definitely a must see, especially with friends who are into music (specially percussions) and/or theater arts. The actually had a “cast” with certain members acting out a particular persona.

They started out with simple beats and “soft” sounds, something light for the audience to digest. They used a whole range of different “instruments” including their body parts. My favorite would probably be the use of Zippo lighters. It was awesome! They turned out all the lights and they started lighting and clicking the lids of the lighters. All you see are the flashes of sparks and tiny flames accompanied by a variety of sounds. Simple yet awe-inspiring.

The music reminded me of Joe Satriani or Liquid Tension Experiment and those instrumentals only groups. They had some good, fast beats that make you wanna jump or do something other than sit on that chair. They even had the audience do some claps, stomps, and finger snapping to participate in the show. The crowd was really worked upped about it too. Too bad it had to end, but at least they ended in style. They picked a great exit song with Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, which had a great drum intro. Although some might argue about choosing another song with good drum beats, it went pretty well with the ambience of the place/set.

Unfortunately, I was not able to take photos during the performance as I was enthralled by the sights and sounds. I also noticed that no one was actually taking pictures, I figured it was prohibited. As they say, "When in Rome...". These are the only photos I took, sorry.

the ticket


end of the show


Needless to say, being a frustrated drummer (and musician as a whole) I truly enjoyed the performance. I somewhat envy these guys being pretty damn good percussionists.

I want to go to war!

I miss gearing up. I miss the donning my BDU, blousing my pants and the feel of zipping up my boots. I miss wearing my boonie hat. I miss the feel of my head in a balaclava.

I miss brimming magazines full with ammo. I miss loading up my vest and hydration pack.

I miss slipping on that 3-point sling. I miss my M4 and my USPc. I miss the feel of the retractable on my cheeks. I miss the feel of the clicks on the selector switch. I miss the feel of full auto.

I miss crouching, kneeling and leaning against walls. I miss tactical maneuvers and squad movements. I miss cover fire. I miss saying "Go! Go! Go!".

I miss the words "Mask down, bitch!"

I miss war!

freshly baked

I just love the smell of freshly baked bread in the morning. You can just imagine that pan de sal still smoking hot, with the outside shell slightly crispy and the inside warm and moist.

You almost want to not bite on it too fast to savor the moment of your first bit, but that you know that perfect pan de sal won't last forever. So you take bite after bite, munching it down mumbling sounds of satisfaction.

I am not a bread person (I actually don't eat a bonafide breakfast), but the smell makes me think of what I have been missing every morning.

Military Organization

I have not been to war in the longest time, and JM suggested that buy some war books to keep me from going crazy. He also suggested learning military “strategy and shit” so that we can apply it when I go back home.

I am all for reading and learning more about military tactics and troop movements to improve my game, but I am a bit reluctant to taking on a leadership role with the troops. Mind you, I am not shying away from leading troops into battle and I highly value the leadership skills and traits that I may acquire during these exercises. It is just that I do not feel ready for the task as yet.

I’ve taken on the squad leader role when playing games like Close Combat series and Full Spectrum Warrior and I’ve gotten a lot of good soldiers killed or injured unnecessarily.

It was agreed upon by my squad mates that we would be rotating the commanding role in the field. This is a good way for exercising the necessary skills we all need as a leader and improve ourselves as an operator. But despite that arrangement, we have identified key positions that we would be “assigned” to, based on our personal disposition and interests.

Bernard will be our designated sniper.
JM will be the support/heavy gunner.
Verchie will be the assault rifleman.
That leaves me to be the squad leader (plus whatever firepower I can bring: rifleman or designated marskman).

Bernard is the loner type, JM just wants to “git some” and Verchie just assaults everything he sees, which leaves me as the "level-headed" guy coordinating all this firepower. Oh boy, I guess it’s time to read all the military doctrine I’ve stashed on my laptop.

Singapore Safari

We took an early day off last Friday to go to Singapore's Night Safari and put the stress levels down a bit from work. We hung out at one of the bars near the office and some of us had a few beers before heading out. There's nothing like a couple of free Corona's to start your early weekend.

Our group consisted of 5 people so we split into 2 groups, with me ending up with the project director. We had a good chat with regards to our history in the company goes, some of the current events happening and where the company will be going in the following years (and where we see ourselves in it as well).

We arrived a bit early for the night safari, bought our tickets and had a quick dinner (all
a part of company expenses mind you). Then off we went! There were a few "rules" set for the safari and these were:

1. No laser pointers or flashlights
2. No flash photography
3. Keep all extremities within the tram
4. Don't touch or feed the animals

I knew I was screwed when I heard the no flash photography rule. True enough, I had no good photographs of the animals we saw, which was a whole lot! Funny thing is you could see the animals quite well with the lights setup but I guess the lights were carefully chosen for human eyes while not interfering with the natural behavior of the animals. Imagine a full moon type effect. Therefore no picture evidence for me.

We saw elephants, tigers, lions, all kinds of birds, hippos, deer, all the things you see in Discovery Channel and more. Some of them where as close as a couple of meters away, while the big ones where around 20 or so meters, as close as you could get I suppose. There where also trails where the animals where just above you or a few feet in front of your face! Of course, you were highly discouraged from touching or feeding them.

Then we went to the "Creatures of the Night" show. It was great! We were all seated in an amphitheater and the showcased some wonderful animals. A barn owl flying overhead us barely made a sound! Some kind of a cat that was able to jump 10 feet into the air, and a whole bunch of furry little animals.

There was a whole bunch of walking during the night, and it made me wish that I brought along (and wore) my MARPAT pants! Hehehe. The place was huge! It was a real jungle, with streams, rolling terrain, trails, roads, and of course "wild" animals. I was already imagining myself patrolling the trails, watching out for enemy troops....

post script

Based on the comments on my previous 2 posts and various YM conversations, I believe I need to clarify certain points.

The first post was not intended to "fish" for compliments amongst my limited, yet avid readers. I simply wanted to share the fact that someone (who shall remain nameless to protect the integrity of the post and person involved) appreciates the words I have chosen to be written on my blog.

Although I admit that nowhere in the post do I acknowledge the praise bestowed upon me and my blog, it does not necessarily mean that it was not whole-heartedly felt and appreciated on my behalf. As a post note (but not an after thought), I would like to say "Thank you" to the aforementioned person. You know who you are and I do hope you know how I feel about your comment.

Now with regards to the second post... I am not gay. Nor do I have any inclinations to being gay. And I have nothing against our homosexual brothers (or sisters... whatever floats their boat hehehe). You may say that I am a bit more in touch with my feminine side that most guys, or that I appreciate what the opposite sex thinks or feels on some things. I just hope this "sometimes sensitive guy" approach gets me some hot chicks!!! hehehe

BDUs

Today, my officemates and I went to the mall beside our office for lunch. As we were walking towards the foodcourt we passed by some women's clothing shops. One of the model mannequins caught my eye and I distinctly had the following thoughts:

"That top looks nice, but I don't like the skirt at all.... jeans maybe". Coupled with imagining the combination mentioned.

No!!!! What the hell was that? I have no idea where that came from...

insights

I envy those who where able to write down what they wished to convey in such a short and eloquent manner. It seems to me that their words just flow naturally from their heads to the keyboard, I on the other hand take up a significant amount of space for my blog entry. I never considered myself as a good writer or a speaker, although I have shown some moments of genius hehehe.

I was chatting with an old friend of mine (whom I haven't seen in 7 years) and she mentioned she liked (or rather "enjoyed") reading the long entries in my blog. She was pleased to have the opportunity to read about the things happening in my life and in getting an insight to another side of me (the wardude side). And she was particularly impressed with how Icomposed
my entries, saying that it was how writers would put it.

That comment was a real heart-warmer, although I must admit that takes me a certain amount of time to compose my words hehehe. I still don't consider myself a good writer and I still envy those who make short, concise blog entries... but at least I know now that my blog entries are appreciated.

leave no man behind

When I came back from Pakistan, I kinda felt left behind on what was happening back home. It was probably because I didn't have time to get settled in with all the preparations for my next trip.

In any case, I am out of the country yet again and I fear I will fall behind even more. Mind you I was only away for a total of 2 months last time, and I won't be coming back until just before Christmas this time around.

"hello... is it me you're looking for?"

I've been using Hello to post my pictures in this here blog of mine. And apparently there are a group of people trying to promote the use of it. They even have their own website, and to my surprise someone posted a link to my blog! Check it out below.

http://www.spreadhello.com/2005/08/hello-snapshots.php

I feel honored :P

eye candy

I arrived here in Singapore yesterday for another assignment. Unfortunately it was raining a bit hard on the way to the apartment so I only got a glimpse of the beauty of this place (according to those who have been here previously). And spent the day settling down and having dinner.

Earlier, I had lunch with my officemates in the mall next to the office. I can say that I am looking forward to the next 3+ months I will be here. I was never attracted to the Chinese-looking women folk back home, but Singapore may change me in that regard. There are a whole lot of cute/hot/sexy women here! (I don't want to use the term "girls" as I might be mistaken for a pedophile)

From no chickababes in Pakistan to the entire chicken coop here in Singapore, you might say I am a bit wide eyed right now. I may need to come up with a new strategy in the next few days hehehe.